2020 Fall Edition

Judicial Division

Court Administration

Director's Column

By Tori J. Wible, Chicago, IL

I’m a glass half-full kind of person, I always have been. This year, however, has been a test of my ability to see the good. But it’s been there!

Courts & Judiciary

Remembering My Private Meeting with Justice Ginsburg

By Hon. Stephanie Domitrovich, Erie, PA

I recall my forty-five minute private encounter with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg at one of the National Association of Women Judges’ (NAWJ) annual meetings in Washington, D.C. As an officer of the NAWJ, I was volunteered to be “with” Justice Ginsberg behind the NAWJ meeting stage so that the Justice would not be left alone prior to her speech.

Appellate Judges Conference

Courts & Judiciary

AJC Chair's Column

By Hon. Steven David, Indianapolis, IN

During times like these, it becomes a natural exercise to reflect on one’s life experiences. Many of us have enjoyed long, illustrious careers in the legal profession.

Courts & Judiciary

CAL Chair's Column

By Deena Jo Schneider, Philadelphia, PA

What a challenging year this has been! Due to a global pandemic, we’ve all had to learn to multitask from wherever we are, while dealing with serious illness, supporting essential workers, and sorting through conflicting views on how to function in our new abnormal.

Court Administration

CASA Chair's Column

By Elizabeth T. Ryan, Nashville, TN

This is my last article as the Chair of the Council of Appellate Staff Attorneys (CASA). Most other committees in the ABA, or even the Judicial Division for that matter, turn over their leadership at the Annual Meeting.

Courts & Judiciary

New Mexico’s Diversity Clerkship Program and Lessons From the ABA Judicial Clerkship Program Graduates

By Hon. David K. Thomson, Santa Fe, NM

When I joined the ABA’s Judicial Division as a Trial Court Judge, one of the first programs I participated in was the Judicial Clerkship Program (JCP). Now, as a Justice on the New Mexico Supreme Court, and inspired by my experience with the JCP, I have begun an initiative that mentors, educates, and creates externship opportunities for minority and disadvantaged students.

Lawyers Conference

Courts & Judiciary

LC Chair's Column

By Monica A. Fennell, Indianapolis, IN

We are embarking on a bar year like no other, and we are all responding to the pandemic in our personal and professional lives. Before I move on to urgent access to justice topics, I want to pause to thank outgoing Lawyers Conference Chair Carolyn Dubay for her grace under pressure in these challenging times.

National Conference of the Administrative Law Judiciary

Courts & Judiciary

NCALJ Chair's Column

By Hon. H. Alexander Manuel, Arlington, VA

This is my first Chair’s Column for the Judicial Division Record. It is an honor to sit on the Judicial Division Council along with distinguished colleagues I have respected and admired for many years.

National Conference of Federal Trial Judges

Courts & Judiciary

NCFTJ Chair's Column

Hon. Miguel Torres, El Paso, TX

You pour yourself a cup of coffee, and head down the hall from your kitchen to your office, to begin your workday. Your morning commute to the courthouse has perhaps been replaced on many days by a routine telephone conference with your staff in preparation for the day’s hearings.

National Conference of Specialized Court Judges

Courts & Judiciary

NCSCJ Chair's Column

By Hon. Ronald B. Ramsey, Sr., Decatur, GA

It would have been unfathomable to think that when we said our good-byes at the conclusion of the Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas that it would be a year or even 18 months before we may have the opportunity to greet, embrace, teach, learn and engage with one another.

Courts & Judiciary

ABA/NCSCJ International Judicial Independence Panel: It’s Up to Lawyers to Defend an Independent Judiciary

By Hon. Richard Ginkowski, Kenosha, WI

From Des Moines to Mexico City to Medellin to Krakow, the languages may be different, procedures may be different, but the concerns for preserving judicial independence are very much the same – and it’s up to lawyers to lead the defense.

National Conference of State Trial Judges

Courts & Judiciary

NCSTJ Chair's Column

By Hon. Linda Marie Bell, Las Vegas, NV

I extend my sincere thanks to Judge Heather Welch, Immediate Past Chair of the National Conference of State Trial Judges. Judge Welch has provided steady leadership for NCSTJ during the most challenging of times. I’m sure she will be a great source of wisdom in the year to come.

Courts & Judiciary

Girls and Girls of Color in the Criminal Justice System

By Hon. Rachel Kretser (Ret.), Albany, NY

In 1980, girls constituted approximately 11 percent of children in the juvenile justice system. Four decades later, in 2020, that percentage has tripled.

American Bar Association TM American Bar Association

2020 Fall Edition

Chair's Column

Judicial Division

Director's Column

Remembering My Private Meeting with Justice Ginsburg

Appellate Judges Conference

AJC Chair's Column

CAL Chair's Column

CASA Chair's Column

New Mexico’s Diversity Clerkship Program and Lessons From the ABA Judicial Clerkship Program Graduates

Lawyers Conference

LC Chair's Column

National Conference of the Administrative Law Judiciary

NCALJ Chair's Column

National Conference of Federal Trial Judges

NCFTJ Chair's Column

National Conference of Specialized Court Judges

NCSCJ Chair's Column

ABA/NCSCJ International Judicial Independence Panel: It’s Up to Lawyers to Defend an Independent Judiciary

National Conference of State Trial Judges

NCSTJ Chair's Column

Girls and Girls of Color in the Criminal Justice System

Highway to Justice | Fall 2020