ABA

ABA House addresses treatment of children and youths in pair of resolutions

The ABA House of Delegates addressed the treatment of children and youths in two resolutions at the ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Tuesday.

Aug 10, 2021 12:22 PM CDT

Private prisons are a failed experiment with ‘perverse and immoral incentives,’ ABA House says in calling for their end

Private prisons, jails and juvenile detention centers “have a tendency to cut staff, they have a tendency to cut programs, and that probably shouldn’t surprise anybody because that’s how you make a profit,” Stephen A. Saltzburg said.

Aug 10, 2021 11:55 AM CDT

ABA House encourages prosecutors to collect and publish case data

The ABA Criminal Justice Section proposed a resolution to the House of Delegates during the ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Tuesday that focuses on improving prosecutors' collection of case data.

Aug 10, 2021 10:59 AM CDT

Congress should study slavery reparations and address racial disparities in incarceration, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates said Monday it supports federal reparations legislation and wants Congress to study the far-reaching effects of slavery in the criminal justice system.

Aug 10, 2021 10:21 AM CDT

Human rights violations at American Indian boarding schools must be investigated, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates voted Monday in favor of a resolution calling for an investigation into human rights abuses at American Indian boarding schools after the president of the Canadian Bar Association appeared in person to support the resolution.

Aug 10, 2021 9:30 AM CDT

When creating return-to-work policies, consider groups hardest-hit by pandemic

The House of Delegates passed two resolutions that focus on returning to the workplace amid the COVID-19 pandemic at the 2021 ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Monday.

Aug 9, 2021 7:03 PM CDT

‘Terrible things happening’ presents a great opportunity, says ABA Medal recipient Lawrence Fox

“We should recognize our own obligation, and everyone in this room certainly does that, but we need to recruit more, and we need to recruit quickly,” said ABA Medal recipient Lawrence J. Fox.

Aug 9, 2021 6:59 PM CDT

ABA House votes to oppose laws that ban transgender student athletes

The House of Delegates weighed in on the ongoing national debate over transgender youth and sports at the ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Monday.

Aug 9, 2021 5:25 PM CDT

‘The sun is rising on the rule of law in the United States,’ says incoming ABA President Reginald Turner

In accepting his position as president of the American Bar Association, Reginald M. Turner shared the story of a half sun painted on the back of an armchair owned by Founding Father and former President George Washington. Fellow Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wondered whether the sun was rising or setting.

Aug 9, 2021 4:53 PM CDT

Governments should adopt the ABA’s best practices recommendations for police body-worn cameras, ABA House says

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution Monday urging governments around the country to adopt its policies on police body-worn cameras—technology that is a key part of measures on policing reform.

Aug 9, 2021 4:42 PM CDT

Lawyers have been flexible with change, but more can be done, ABA President Refo says

“We must sort through what we have learned ... about the advantages, limitations, and pitfalls of remote proceedings and other technologies that hold the promise of expanding access to justice,” ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said.

Aug 9, 2021 1:13 PM CDT

Obama makes surprise virtual appearance at ABA Thurgood Marshall event honoring civil rights lawyer

Former President Barack Obama made a surprise virtual appearance at the ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting on Friday evening to honor Thurgood Marshall Award winner Clarence B. Jones, a civil rights leader and member of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legal team.

Aug 9, 2021 11:49 AM CDT

Meet the 2021 Margaret Brent Award honorees

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession presented this year’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards virtually on Thursday to a longtime judge and four lawyers who have worked in nearly every area of the legal profession.

Aug 5, 2021 9:04 AM CDT

ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting convenes members online and in Chicago

The American Bar Association is hosting its first-ever hybrid annual meeting, which will bring together members for both virtual and in-person events in Chicago this week.

Aug 4, 2021 9:10 AM CDT

ABA Treasurer’s Report for FY2020

Each year, the ABA treasurer provides a report on the association’s finances that is printed here in the ABA Journal. In these reports, I will seek to provide helpful information about the association’s financial health as well as current and relevant trends. In my first Journal report as treasurer, I…

Aug 1, 2021 1:00 AM CDT