The ABA's policymaking body met Aug. 5-6 at the Annual Meeting to debate and vote on a wide range of policy issues.
2024 ANNUAL MEETING
House of Delegates Resolutions
10A
Adopted
Recommends that certain Association policies that pertain to public issues and are 10 years old or older be archived.
10B
Adopted
Recommends that certain Association policies that pertain to public issues that were adopted in 2004 which were previously considered for archiving but retained be archived.
10C
Adopted
Urges reallocation of the California delegation of the House of Delegates.
11-1
Adopted
Amends §31.7 of the Association’s Constitution to more accurately reflect the current work of the Standing Committee and the Center for Bar Leadership, including their expanded roles serving as a resource for bar leaders within and outside the Association.
11-2
Adopted
Amends §31.7 of the Association’s Constitution to update the jurisdictional statement of the Standing Committee on Technology and Information Systems to all allow the Committee to better focus on its mission to help modernize the tools available to our members while meeting the changes in priorities of the ABA.
11-3
Adopted
Amends §27.1(b) of the Association’s Constitution to add the chair of the Member Services Board Committee as an ex-officio liaison representative to Scope, without vote.
11-4 (video)
Adopted
Amends §6.4 and 6.10 of the Association’s Constitution concerning the appointment and certification of delegates to the House of Delegates.
300
Adopted
Concurs in the action of the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in making amendments dated August 2024 to Rules 40 (Complaints in General), 41 (Submission of Complaints), 42 (Anonymous Complaints), 43 (Review of Complaints), 44 (Notice of Disposition of Complaints), 45 (Appeal of Managing Director’s or Council Disposition of Complaints), and 46 (Record of Complaints) of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools.
301
Adopted
Concurs in the action of the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar in making amendments dated August 2024 to Standard 304 (Experiential Courses: Simulation Courses, Law Clincs, and Field Placements) of the ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools.
400 (video)
Adopted
Urges law schools and other academic organizations with law reviews and law journals to utilize submission management systems that do not charge fees to prospective authors; and urges law schools and other academic organizations that have developed their own submission management system to offer technical or other assistance to law reviews and other academic law journals.
401
Withdrawn
Urges adoption of the “American Bar Association Model Rules for Non-Administered Arbitrations,” dated August 2024.
500 (video)
Adopted
Urges multilateral and regional development banks to temporarily suspend foreign debt obligations to enable low and middle-income Small Island Developing States to recover from climate change exacerbated natural disasters.
501 (video)
Adopted
Urges all governments to recognize, stop and prevent further acts of genocide perpetrated against the Hazara people in Afghanistan; and urges Congress to take action to strengthen national, regional, and international frameworks for preventing mass atrocities in Afghanistan and protecting at-risk groups like the Hazara.
502
Adopted
Urges the United States Department of State Office of Global Criminal Justice to investigate and publish updated findings on the question of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations in Tibet; and urges the United Nations Human Rights Council appoint a special rapporteur on the situation concerning Tibet and to include the situation of Tibet on its agenda.
503 (video)
Adopted
Opposes legislation and urges the repeal of laws which permit or require the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools; and opposes legislation, and urges state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to repeal laws which allow public schools to employ, or accept as volunteers, chaplains to provide student support services when such individuals are not certified to provide such services.
504 (video)
Adopted
Urges Congress to repeal the Comstock Act of 1873 as amended.
505 (video)
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments to enact laws and polices that increase access to confidential prenatal, peripartum, and postpartum care for historically marginalized communities and those disproportionately impacted by maternal mortality and morbidity.
506 (video)
Adopted as Revised
Urges legal scholars and professionals, law schools, bar associations, and judicial organizations to adopt and implement the recommendations contained in the report, Excluded & Alone: Examining the Experiences of Native American Women in the Law and a Path Towards Equity (2023).
507 (video)
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments to enact laws, to adopt regulations and policies, and to support private programs and practices that alleviate the burden of medical debt for medically necessary care on patients and families.
508 (video)
Adopted
Opposes non-disclosure or non-disparagement agreements as conditions of employment and urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to enact laws prohibiting and making non-enforceable pre and post dispute settlement agreements which limit an employee’s ability to disclose information underlying claims of workplace harassment, discrimination, or statutory workplace rights violations.
509
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to adopt and implement the recommendations contained in Chapter 6 of the report, NOT ONE MORE: Findings & Recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission (November 2023).
510
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal legislatures to enact legislation to protect patients’ safe access to health care professionals who offer gender-affirming care and to safeguard health care professionals’ ability to provide such care.
511 (video)
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments to implement the recommendations contained in the report, The Way Forward (February 2024).
512 (video)
Adopted
Urges Congress to create and fund a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI); and urges the President of the United States to convene a commission of experts to assist Congress by preparing recommendations for the organization and funding of a NHRI, consistent with international standards.
513 (video)
Adopted
Reaffirms Resolution 13A105 committing to sustainable development; supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015; and urges lawyers to learn about sustainable development, and to counsel their clients on related risks and opportunities.
514 (video)
Adopted
Urges law schools to allow students to receive both monetary compensation and course credit for field placements; and urges legal employers to consider adding monetary compensation for field placements for which students are also receiving course credit.
515 (video)
Adopted as Revised
Urges law schools to require pay transparency during the On-Campus Interview process; and urges legal employers to engage in pay transparency during the On-Campus Interview process.
516 (video)
Adopted
Urges Congress to pass the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, S.3984 and H.R.8093, 118th Cong. (2024), or any similar legislation establishing a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center charged with providing technical assistance and training for heightened judicial security, monitoring threats, developing standardized incident reporting, and creating a national database for reporting, tracking, and the sharing of threat information.
517 (video)
Adopted
Urges all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal legislative bodies and governmental agencies to enact laws and adopt policies prohibiting law enforcement from knowingly employing or relying upon deception by falsification of facts or unauthorized promises of leniency to obtain an incriminating response, confession, or admission of culpability of a crime in a custodial setting from a child under the age of 18.
518 (video)
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to adopt investment principles and vehicles that do not include entities that generate at least 20% or another designated percentage of their revenue from incarceration facilities and supervision; and urges brokers, fund managers, and private equity firms to create mutual funds and other investment vehicles that do not include entities that generate at least 20% or another designated percentage of their revenue from incarceration facilities and supervision.
519 (video)
Adopted
Urges all federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments states to adopt forensic genetic genealogy (FGG) legislation similar to Maryland House Bill 240, 2021 Regular Session (Md. Code Ann., Crim. Proc. § 17-101 to 105) regulating the use of FGG to identify suspect or victims in criminal cases.
520 (video)
Adopted as Revised
Urges all legal employers to adopt policies and practices that provide their employees with meaningful opportunities to serve the profession through bar associations and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including policies that provide billable hour credit for such activities in the same manner as some employers provide billable hour credit for completing pro bono assignments.
521
Withdrawn
Urges all legal employers to adopt policies and practices that encourage all of their lawyers to unplug at least one consecutive week per year without the need to reply to emails/calls or attend virtual meetings; and urges all private law firms to provide 40 hours of billable hour credit for employees who take the one week of unplug time.
522
Withdrawn
Urges all legal employers to: (1) adopt policies and practices that promote flexible work arrangements (“FWA”); (2) establish clear, equitable and written policies about the availability and procedures for FWA; (3) permit lawyers time off to address personal and family needs; and (4) provide lawyers with the tools and resources necessary for them to be successful with their FWA.
523 (video)
Adopted
Designates May 20 as National First Generation Lawyers Day and encourages ABA affiliates and national bar organizations and their affiliates to do the same to recognize and celebrate the contributions, importance, diversity, and leadership of First Generation lawyers.
524
Withdrawn
Urges law schools to promote transparency by uniformly sharing information regarding the true and full cost of attending law school, preparing for the bar exam, and beginning a legal career.
600
Adopted
Grants approval to one program, reapproval to 21 programs, withdraws the approval of three programs at the request of the institutions, and extends the term of approval to 32 programs.
601
Adopted
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to support implementation of the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) to the United States Constitution (“Constitution”), in accordance with Article V of the Constitution; and urges all bar associations and the legal community as a whole to support implementation of the ERA.
602
Adopted
Reaffirms Resolution 12M108 urging all state and territorial bar admission authorities to adopt rules, regulations, and procedures that accommodate the unique needs of military spouse attorneys who move frequently in support of the Nation’s defense; and further urges state supreme courts and their state and territorial bar admission authorities to adopt specific standards that satisfy the reaffirmed policy.
603
Adopted as Revised
Recommends the granting of accreditation to the Immigration Law program of the National Board of Trial Advocacy; reaccreditation to the Legal Professional Liability Law program of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys and the Family Law program of the National Board of Trial Advocacy for a five-year term; and the extension of the term of accreditation of the Criminal Trial Advocacy program of the National Board of Trial Advocacy until the adjournment of the next House of Delegates meeting in February 2025.
604
Adopted
Urges lawyers and law firms to avoid causing or contributing to adverse human rights impacts in representing business clients in a manner consistent with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
605
Adopted
Urges Congress and the Executive Branch to review and remedy all laws, policies, and regulations: 1) that erect systemic barriers to protection from gender-based violence and/or fail to comply with treaty obligations; and 2)
to meet or exceed the minimum standards for asylum accessibility for noncitizens fleeing gender-based violence as defined by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
606
Adopted
Supports in principle the right of aggrieved private parties to initiate and pursue court action to enforce all applicable provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (“the Act”), as amended; and urges Congress to enact legislation reaffirming the right of aggrieved private parties to initiate and pursue court action to enforce all provisions of the Act.
607
Adopted
Urges state, local, territorial, and tribal governments not to broaden their criteria for involuntary civil commitment of people with mental health disabilities as a strategy to address homelessness; and to increase funding for and access to safe and affordable housing and non-coercive community-based supports and services for people with mental health disabilities.
700 (video)
Adopted
Supports the efforts of the United States Government to implement polices and practices that promote Taiwan’s inclusion in the international system, in accordance with the TAIPEI Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-135) as amended in 2022 by Pub. L. 117-263, tit. LV, § 5521) and the Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act (Pub. L. 117-263, tit. LV, §§ 5516-5519 (codified at 22 U.S.C. §§ 3371-3373).
800 (video)
Adopted
Urges state and territorial bar admission authorities to provide an exception to any questions on applications required for admission to the bar allowing a victim of domestic violence to choose not to disclose any related legal history.
801
Adopted
Adoption of the “Statement of Principles to Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and American Democracy” by the Society for the Rule of Law.