ABA

Pretrial risk-assessment tools should only be used if they’re transparent and unbiased, warns ABA House

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution Monday urging governmental entities to refrain from using pretrial risk-assessment tools unless “the data supporting the risk assessment is transparent, publicly disclosed and validated to demonstrate the absence of conscious or unconscious racial, ethnic or other demographic, geographic or socioeconomic bias."

Feb 14, 2022 2:58 PM CST

Vulnerable Afghans seeking humanitarian protections in US must be supported, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution at the ABA Midyear Meeting on Monday that supports vulnerable Afghans who are seeking humanitarian protections in the United States.

Feb 14, 2022 1:56 PM CST

Presume children will attend their dependency hearings, and help make it happen, ABA House urges

Government entities should enact, and courts should enforce, laws establishing a presumption of child presence in all dependency proceedings, the ABA House of Delegates urged Monday.

Feb 14, 2022 1:28 PM CST

Long-standing practice of including ‘all persons’ in the US census should continue, ABA House says

The House of Delegates approved a resolution Monday urging federal agencies to follow laws and adopt policies to ensure that "all persons" in each state, regardless of immigration status, are included in the count used to redistribute seats in the U.S. House of Representatives following each decennial census.

Feb 14, 2022 12:55 PM CST

Rule of law defense is needed amid ‘storm clouds’ at home and abroad, says ABA President Reginald Turner

While ABA President Reginald M. Turner remains hopeful the sun is rising on the rule of law, he told the ABA House of Delegates on Monday that “storm clouds increasingly appear on the landscape.”

Feb 14, 2022 12:40 PM CST

Loan counseling and cross-cultural competency programing will be required from ABA-accredited law schools

A package of proposed revisions to the ABA law school accreditation standards, including two focused on diversity, were approved Monday by the ABA House of Delegates at the 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting.

Feb 14, 2022 12:38 PM CST

Preventive action is needed to reduce youth homelessness

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution Monday urging governmental bodies to repurpose funding to support prevention approaches aimed at dramatically reducing the number of youth experiencing homelessness each year and enhancing their safety, permanency and well-being.

Feb 14, 2022 12:10 PM CST

Lactation stations and breastfeeding accommodations are needed for bar exam attendees

Bar admissions authorities, bar associations, law schools and legal employers need to establish clear and consistent policies that provide accommodations to individuals who are lactating, the ABA House of Delegates resolved Monday.

Feb 14, 2022 11:39 AM CST

The ABA is working to help Afghan refugees, and so can you

As the United States was completing the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan in August, the American Bar Association began working to address the needs of Afghans. At first, this assistance came in the form of volunteer ABA members and staff preparing recommendation letters for evacuating Afghans seeking Special Immigration Visas. Simultaneously, individual ABA members and staff were preparing to provide pro bono legal assistance.

Feb 10, 2022 9:45 AM CST

ABE supports 12 ‘new and critical initiatives’ through annual grant program

The American Bar Endowment's Opportunity Grant Program will again support a number of causes, including advocating for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, improving access to the courts for women in prison and ensuring due process for immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Feb 9, 2022 10:16 AM CST

All-virtual ABA Midyear Meeting will offer slate of special events and programs

Lawyers and legal professionals from around the country still have a chance to attend the 2022 ABA Midyear Meeting. The conference will now take place entirely online because of the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19.

Feb 3, 2022 11:29 AM CST

Potential SCOTUS nominee Childs helps others succeed; is ‘typical corporate lawyer’ work a problem?

U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs, a potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee, wins high praise from lawyers who practiced before her and those who worked with her. But some liberal critics see her work for a management-side labor law firm as a negative.

Feb 3, 2022 9:27 AM CST

Global Impact: The ABA’s advocacy has influence on the international stage

The ABA’s efforts to improve laws and regulations and defend the rule of law are not limited to the United States; the ABA’s voice is also heard around the world. Opening jurisdictions to U.S. law firms, strengthening the rule of law, and improving the quality of laws through education, law reform and advocacy are important components of the ABA’s global work.

Feb 1, 2022 12:30 AM CST

February-March 2022 ABA Notices

For more official ABA notices, please visit ABAJournal.com in March. BOARD OF ELECTIONS RESULTS FOR THE 2022 STATE DELEGATE ELECTIONS In December, the Board of Elections certified the results of the 2022 state delegate elections. For a complete list of the state delegates elected for the 2022-2025 term, go to…

Feb 1, 2022 12:20 AM CST

White House confirms potential Supreme Court nominee as the short list grows

The White House confirmed Friday that U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs is among several Black women being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jan 31, 2022 10:33 AM CST