ABA Insider

To increase access to justice, jurisdictions should consider rewriting regulations, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates passed a controversial resolution encouraging states to adopt regulatory innovations to expand civil legal services to more Americans. The House adopted Resolution 115 with broad support, even though it had spurred intense debate. The House met on Feb. 17 at the 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting…

Apr 1, 2020 12:40 AM CDT

‘The personal attacks on judges and prosecutors must cease,’ ABA president says

Americans of all backgrounds are paying more attention to issues of justice, ABA President Judy Perry Martinez told the House of Delegates at the 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas. “They’re talking about due process and evidence, attorney-client privilege, fair trials and just punishment—the imperative of the oath to…

Apr 1, 2020 12:40 AM CDT

ABA House of Delegates urges legislation protecting marijuana lawyers and banks

The ABA House of Delegates adopted two resolutions urging federal legislation be passed to shield lawyers and banks from criminal liability for providing services to marijuana businesses in states where the drug is legal. Both resolutions were sponsored by the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section and passed overwhelmingly. The…

Apr 1, 2020 12:30 AM CDT

Voting access and protection against violence for Native Americans should be top priorities, ABA House says

Ahead of this year’s presidential election, the ABA House of Delegates overwhelmingly passed a pair of resolutions that aim to increase voter participation and minimize voter suppression. Resolution 112, submitted for the ABA Midyear Meeting by the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, urges jurisdictions to remove barriers for…

Apr 1, 2020 12:25 AM CDT

ABA House votes in favor of restrictions on ‘ghost guns,’ firearm permits and safe storage

The ABA will call for tighter controls to curb gun violence after the House of Delegates adopted three resolutions addressing gun permits, so-called ghost guns and safe storage. The House met on Feb. 17 at the 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas. The Standing Committee on Gun Violence was…

Apr 1, 2020 12:20 AM CDT

ABA House supports animal encounter training for law enforcement

The importance of providing police officers with comprehensive animal encounter training was addressed in a measure approved by the ABA House of Delegates. The House met on Feb. 17 at the 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas. Resolution 103A encourages the use of laws and policies that provide training…

Apr 1, 2020 12:15 AM CDT

ABA Notices - April 2020

For more official ABA notices, visit ABAJournal.com in May. ACTION OF THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE AT THE 2020 MIDYEAR MEETING in accordance with Section 9.1 of the ABA Constitution, the House of Delegates Nominating Committee, at its meeting Sunday, Feb. 16, nominated Reginald Turner of Michigan for President-Elect (2020-2021), Barbara Howard…

Apr 1, 2020 12:07 AM CDT

Lawyer launches café that employs individuals with disabilities

In December 2018, Vinson & Elkins counsel Noelle Alix teamed up with longtime friend Kim Morrison to open BeanZ & Co. and provide jobs to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Avon, Connecticut.

Feb 1, 2020 12:35 AM CST

ABA groups are working to promote and increase medical-legal partnerships

William Waddell Jr. was getting out of his car at Mid-Delta Health Systems in Clarendon, Arkansas, when a doctor walked up to him and said he was needed inside immediately. A patient, who had complained of frequent headaches, admitted after an MRI scan that her husband had been beating her,…

Feb 1, 2020 12:30 AM CST

Meet the 2020 Spirit of Excellence Award honorees

The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession presents the annual awards to lawyers who excel professionally; personify excellence at the national, state or local level; and demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the law.

Feb 1, 2020 12:25 AM CST

ABA Notices

RESULTS OF THE UNCONTESTED 2020 STATE DELEGATE ELECTIONS In December, the Board of Elections certified the results of the 2020 State Delegate Elections. For a complete list of the State Delegates elected for the 2020-2023 term, go to ambar.org/2020resultsstateelection. GOAL III MEMBERS-AT-LARGE ON THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE The ABA President will…

Feb 1, 2020 12:17 AM CST

Holocaust survivor has dedicated his career to serving others

John Rosenberg likes to tell people we’re in a country where the rule of law means something, where no one is above the law. “Lawyers make a difference,” he says. “We have demonstrated in our work that we can have a great impact and make our society a better one.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:30 AM CDT

A Q&A with ABA President Judy Perry Martinez

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez spoke with the ABA Journal in August about her experiences with the association and goals for her year as president.

Nov 1, 2019 1:20 AM CDT

Commission on Immigration urges widespread reform

“A person comes to our borders, legitimately seeking asylum from, say, political or religious persecution,” said Massachusetts Bar Association delegate Kevin Curtin, a prosecutor for Middlesex County, Massachusetts. “We then lock her up. We might separate her from her children. And then, we prevent her from having access to counsel. … We wouldn’t do that to what my grandmother would call common criminals.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:10 AM CDT

ABA asks courthouses to reconsider cellphone bans

Dina Afek often tells clients they’re not allowed to bring their cellphones into courthouses in New Mexico. “As attorneys, we can bring in phones, so it’s creating a weird class issue,” says Afek, the volunteer attorney program director for New Mexico Legal Aid. “It is disproportionately affecting poor people and self-represented litigants.”

Nov 1, 2019 1:00 AM CDT