Programs/Events

Upcoming Events | Past Events

Upcoming Events

National events are below. To find out about events in your area, visit the Law Day Events site.

August 6
ABA Annual Meeting Program on the American Jury
The ABA Jury Commission is planning a showcase program at the Annual Meeting in Chicago, for Saturday, August 6, in which panelists exploring hypothetical scenarios related to the American jury system. More information

Past Events

May 1
Law Day
Conducted annually since 1958, Law Day is designed to expand the American public's awareness and appreciation of our justice system, legal heritage, and the role of law in our society. A special theme is identified annually to help guide programming for Law Day. For 2005, the theme is "The American Jury: We the People in Action." State and local bar associations and other legal and court groups conduct hundreds of Law Day programs throughout the country. For more information, visit the ABA Law Day website.

May 2
Leon Jaworski Public Program, "The Jury as a Democratic Institution"
The ABA Standing Committee on Public Education, in cooperation with the Commission on the American Jury, the Law Library of Congress and other organizational partners, is conducting the 2005 ABA Leon Jaworski Public Program on "The Jury as a Democratic Institution." In commemoration of Law Day, it will be held on May 2 in Washington, DC. It is tentatively scheduled at the U.S. Supreme Court. ABA Jury Commission member Jeffrey Toobin, CNN legal analyst and staff writer for The New Yorker, is serving as program moderator. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is scheduled to participate. For more information, visit the Leon Jaworksi Public Programs website.

May 2-6
Juror Appreciation Week
Many states recognize the contributions of jurors by holding a Juror Appreciation Week. We'll be posting information about these programs being planned around the country. To add your juror appreciation event to this site, please e-mail abapubed@abanet.org and include the title, dates, location, brief event description (50 words or less), and contact information, including e-mail and website URL. Also being planned for May 2005 is a National Juror Appreciation Week.

Juror Appreciation Kit

Sample Proclamation
Here's a sample proclamation you might wish to use for your Juror Appreciation Week event:

• Juror Week Proclamation (.pdf)
  This is a pdf file; you may need to download Adobe's free Acrobat Reader in order to view it.
• Juror Week Proclamation (Word document)

For more information about using proclamations, see Sample Proclamations.

February 14-15
ABA House of Delegates
The 546-member House of Delegates, the policymaking body of the American Bar Association, is meeting February 14-15 in Salt Lake City, Utah, in conjunction with the Midyear Meeting of the ABA. The newly developed set of unified ABA principles related to jury trials is being presented for consideration to the House.

February 11
Dialogue on the American Jury
The Dialogue on the American Jury is also being presented at the joint luncheon of the National Association of Bar Executives/National Conference of Bar Presidents/National Conference of Bar Foundations at the ABA Midyear Meeting on February 11. Christine M. Durham, Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court and Manuel Sanchez, Co-Chair of the ABA Jury Commission, are leading a Dialogue with Salt Lake City high school students.

January 23-26, 2005
Conference of Chief Justices Midyear Meeting
The ABA is conducting a Dialogue on the American Jury program during 2004-05. Led by lawyers and judges, this educational program is designed for use in classrooms or community settings. New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye is introducing the new Dialogue on the American Jury at this conference, which will be held in New York City.

December 9, 2004
Special Washington, DC Event
The ABA is conducting a special event at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Carl H. Moultrie Courthouse. The event is designed to promote public awareness of the importance of the American jury and citizens' service on juries and introduce the newly proposed ABA principles relating to jury trials.
Speakers include:
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Justice O'Connor (Honorary Chair, ABA Commission on the American Jury);
ABA President Robert Grey Jr.;
New York State Chief Judge Kaye (Co-Chair, ABA Commission on the American Jury);
ABA Jury Project Chair Patricia Refo; and
Rufus King, Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

As part of the event, Justice O'Connor is making remarks to a group of citizens completing jury service. In addition, ABA leaders are conducting a news conference on the ABA's American Jury Initiative, including discussion of the proposed national jury principles. Media contact: Stephanie Ortbals-Tibbs at 202.662.1091 or Stephanie.OrtbalsTibbs@americanbar.org.

October 14-15, 2004
National Jury Symposium
The American Bar Association Jury Project convened a National Symposium on the American Jury System at Washington and Lee University School of Law in Lexington, Virginia. Symposium participants reviewed and discussed draft ABA principles related to jury trials.
More information