Minnesota leaders and Library of Congress’s David Mao celebrate U.S. Constitution and its roots in the Magna Carta

Earlier this month, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea and Deputy Librarian of Congress David Mao led a celebration at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, Minn., to honor the U.S. Constitution and the Magna Carta.

More than 100 guests gathered as Chief Justice Gildea discussed the influence of Magna Carta on the U.S. Constitution and the hold this British document had on the imaginations of the delegates of the Constitutional Convention as they created the framework for representative government. Mao highlighted the relevance of the Magna Carta, which holds influence to this day, 800 years after King John first affixed his seal to the document. Mao also made note of the pieces on display at the Minnesota History Center, on loan from the Library of Congress’s Magna Carta exhibition, which is sponsored by Thomson Reuters. Gov. Dayton closed the event by proclaiming the week of Sept. 17-23 as Constitution Week in Minnesota.

“Magna Carta has been described as the single most important legal document in history,” said Tom Leighton, vice president of Legal Editorial Operations at Thomson Reuters. “Its principles led to the constitutional guarantees of individual liberty put forth by the Founding Fathers of the United States. Thomson Reuters support of the 800^th anniversary of Magna Carta reflects both our company’s values and enterprise-wide capabilities. And just as importantly, it perfectly reflects the values of our most important customers and stakeholders.”

Leighton and Mao sat down with Legal Current prior to the event to talk about the impact of the Magna Carta: