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    May 2023 Washington Letter

     

    Federal Government

    Guardianship in the United States

    The American Bar Association has been advocating for changes to the guardianship system in the United States for many years.

    This Month's Articles

    Advocate of the Month

    We are pleased to honor Lucian Dervan as our Advocate of the Month for May 2023 for serving as a member of the ABA Board of Governors and Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice Section Plea Bargaining Task Force. Lucian is a Professor of Law and Director of Criminal Justice Studies at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to joining the Board of Governors, Lucian served as the chair of the ABA Commission on the American Jury and chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section. While chair of the Criminal Justice Section, Lucian created the Plea Bargaining Task Force to examine concerns about the plea bargaining system. In February 2023, the Plea Bargaining Task Force released its report, which contained 14 unanimously adopted principles for the creation of a fairer and more transparent criminal justice system. The task force work also served as inspiration for the creation of the newly formed Plea Bargaining Institute. The Institute, founded by Lucian and Fair Trials, will serve as the global intellectual home for academics, policymakers, advocacy organizations, and practitioners working in the plea bargaining space to share knowledge and collaborate. Lucian serves as the Institute’s Founding Director. In his free time, Lucian likes to travel and explore new restaurants with his wife and two children.

    Legislative Research Tip

    Listening Features on Congress.gov Use the “Listen” feature to hear Congress.gov content read aloud, available for bill texts and summaries, committee documents, and Congressional Record issues from 1994. Users can skip to a particular portion of text and access the audio feature through the “Listen” button or download a recording from the dropdown menu at left. Highlighting the text opens additional features such as adjustment of the reading speed or translation into 27 foreign languages.

    About the Washington Letter

    The ABA Washington Letter is a monthly publication produced by the Governmental Affairs Office to report and analyze congressional and executive branch action on legislative issues of interest to the ABA and the legal profession. The newsletter highlights ABA involvement in the federal legislative process and focuses on the association's legislative and governmental priorities and other issues on which the ABA has policy.

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