Williamsburg, Va. (July 22, 2010) Retired Montana Chief Justice Karla M. Gray is the recipient of a 2009 Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest recognitions given by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to those who have made significant contributions to...
"In eight years the military commissions have put three people on trial. ... Meanwhile, the federal courts, our Article III, regular legal court system, has put dozens of terrorists in jail. ... The suggestion that somehow a military commission is the way to go isn't borne out."
Colin Powell, former Secretary of State
Partner News
In an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Drew F. Cohen argues that Pennsylvania must change the way we pick judges, and he offers an unlikely model: Iraq. Cohen points to the issues that concerned the U.S. State Department when helping to form the Iraqi judiciary: corruption and nepotism, but also...
When asked, people say that they place a high value on qualified, fair and impartial judges. One of the most compelling reasons to adopt merit selection is that it is designed to ensure that the judges who preside over our courts maintain the highest degree of integrity and ethical behavior....
Judicial retention elections in which voters make a yes-no decision on whether to keep a sitting judge in office tend to be low-interest, low-impact affairs. Not so in the case of Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, the long-time Rock Island resident asking voters to retain him in the seat...
ABA Releases New View from the Bench Study In a survey released today by the American Bar Association, judges indicated that a lack of representation in civil matters is hurting those individuals cases, and is negatively impacting courtrooms. Approximately 1,000 state trial judges responded to the survey, which posed questions...
Increases in the number of foreclosures, divorces and consumer disputes are putting a tremendous strain on state courts in these tough economic times, according to a survey conducted by the American Bar Association. In a news conference today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., ABA President Carolyn Lamm...
Lobbying groups led by Public Campaign and Common Cause are initiating a $15 million effort to pass a campaign finance law that critics say would amount to political suicide for incumbents. The Fair Elections Now Act was introduced last year by Democratic Senate Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois; Sen. Arlen...
Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says the states Supreme Court elections have become auctions. Hes right. But McCabes solution, public funding of elections, is off base. It may be unconstitutional, and it forces taxpayers to give money to candidates they dont support. At least for Wisconsins highest court,...
Yesterday a divided Wisconsin Supreme Court quietly finalized new rules allowing state judges to decide cases involving their biggest campaign supporters. This new ethical standard was proposed by two of the state's most powerful lobbying groups, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the Wisconsin Realtors Association. The rules stand in direct...
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will receive the American Bar Association Medal, the ABAs highest honor, at the associations annual meeting in August. ABA President Carolyn B. Lamm announced the selection in a press release, saying the award recognizes the justices immense contribution to the rule of law. Justice Ginsburg has...
A North Texas woman was among those speaking on behalf of Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan this week during the U.S. solicitor general's Senate confirmation hearing. Dallas lawyer Kim Askew testified on behalf of the American Bar Association -- the nation's biggest group of lawyers. She has a breadth of...
PHOENIX (CN) - The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief in support of civil rights groups who challenged the constitutionality of Arizona's new immigration law. The ABA says may increase police officers' racial profiling and detention of citizens, increase the burden on Arizona's court system, and usurps federal authority...
Williamsburg, Va. (June 30, 2010) The evaluation and adjustment of court operations to improve processes and save money while increasing efficiency and maintaining service levels to the public a process known as court reengineering is the central theme of Future Trends in State Courts 2010, the latest edition of the...
Passage of the DISCLOSE Act by the House today is a victory for citizens over special interests. The fact that today's vote was so close is a sad testament to the power of special interests in Washington. Polling showed 8 in 10 Americans disapproved of the Supreme Court's decision in...
[JURIST] A group of legal reform organizations on Tuesday called on US government officials to make judicial nominations a top priority [letter, PDF; press release] and to fill judicial vacancies expeditiously. The letter, sent to President Barack Obama, the Senate majority and minority leaders as well as the leadership of...
