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    Judicial Division

    Year in Review: 2022-2023

    1. The JD Court-Apponted Neutrals Committee brought two resolutions to the House of Delegates at the 2023 Annual Meeting.  Resolution 516 and Resolution 517 both passed.
    2. Presented several CLE and non-CLE programs during the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver, including two Presidential Showcase Programs:
      1. Responding to Judicial and Lawyer Misconduct
      2. The Innocence Project at 20: What We Now Know About the Causes of Wrongful Convictions
      3. From Cradleboard to Shallow Grave: Boarding Schools, ICWA, and Missing & Murdered Indigenous Persons (Showcase)
      4. On the Front Line of Civil Rights Then and Now: A conversation with legendary Judge Arthur L. Burnett, Sr.
      5. Where Administrative Law and Criminal Law Intersect Matters for Justice and Equity
      6. Autism Awareness: How Courts Can Improve Access to Justice for a Vulnerable and Neuro-Diverse Population (Showcase)
      7. The Art of Handling Key Complexities in High Profile Cases (non-CLE)
    3. Held a successful book drive for a local charity in Denver, CO during the ABA Annual Meeting.
    4. Webinars
      1. Produced many CLE webinars on various hot topics like Generative AI, Ethics in a Virtual Court, Court-Appointed Neutrals Use in Court and many more. All programs are available On Demand.
      2. Cosponsored a webinar with the ABA International Law Sections Middle East Committee titled, "Feet to the Fire: Holding Iran Accountable for its Egregious Human Rights Violations."
      3. Cosponsored a webinar with the National Association of Women Judges titled, "Legislative Update: Status of LGBTQ Rights Due to Recent State Laws Across the U.S.; Welcoming LGBTQ+ People in Our Courthouses."
    5. Held a successful in-person CLE during the 2023 Midyear Meeting titled, “Dare to be Different: Think Outside the Box to Improve Juvenile Justice in Your Community."
    6. Produced 17 Gavel Talks episodes on many important topics, including the most recent one, "Should Peremptory Challenges Get the Ax?"
    7. Diversity and Inclusion Activities
      1. The Standing Committee on Diversity in the Judiciary held Youth Outreach Programs in New Orleans, LA during the Midyear Meeting and in Denver, CO during the Annual Meeting.
      2. Collaborated with the Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline on the 23rd Judicial Clerkship Program.
      3. Created webinars for our Heritage Month Series, including Black History, Women’s History and more.
      4. The Standing Committee on Diversity in the Judiciary conducted two Pathways to the Bench Programs, one in Denver, CO at the Colorado Bar Association and one in New Orleans, LA at Loyola University College of Law.
      5. The Division continues to market its "Enhancing Justice: Reducing Bias" publication.
    8. Through the National Judicial College, our Appellate Judges Conference, along with the Council of Appellate Lawyers and the Council of Appellate Staff Attorneys held their Annual Appellate Judges Education Institute in Scottsdale, AZ. Our own Judge J. Michelle Childs, U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, was the keynote speaker.
    9. Published five books through the JD Book Editorial Board:
      1. "Preparing for a Federal Trial."
      2. "Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges," which won the 2023 Outstanding Publication Achievement Award from the Association of Continuing Legal Education.
      3. "Freedom for All: An Attorney’s Guide to Human Trafficking, Second Edition."
      4. "White Collar Criminal Prosecutions in the U.S. and U.K.: A Comparative Treatise for Practitioners."
      5. "A Momentous Year in the Supreme Court: October Term 2021."
    10. Printed four issues of our award-winning magazine, The Judges’ Journal.
      1. A Multifaceted Look at Bankruptcy
      2. Working with Vulnerable Populations
      3. Civics & Civility
      4. Security in the Administration of Justice
    11. Produced four electronic issues of The JD Record newsletter.
    12. The Judicial Division generated several programs through our grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The grant continues to be the largest grant awarded to the ABA and worth $2.7 million. Through this grant, we:
      1. Sponsor a Judicial Fellows Program, Regional Judicial Outreach Liaisons, and State Judicial Outreach Liaisons.
      2. Host free webinars on topics ranging from various aspects of impaired driving, DUI Courts, and other evidence-based best practices for pre-trial and post-adjudication issues in alcohol and drug impaired driving cases.
      3. Print two publications: the Highway to Justice and the Tribal Traffic Safety Bulletin.
      4. Serve as guest speakers on Gavel Talks episodes featuring impaired driving topics, specialty courts, and strategies for reducing recidivism.