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  Your location: AJS Main Site :: AJS News Archive

AJS News Archive

Summary

The following is a collection of current and past AJS News releases.



Janet Reno Gives Keynote Address at 2008 Justice Award
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno spoke on April 24 at the AJS 2008 Justice Award honoring Larry Hammond.
Posted 5/1/2008
Click here to read more about the event.

Working Towards a Better Justice System Since 1913
The American Judicature Society unveils a new resource for all who are interested learning more about or sharing with others the mission and message of AJS - to secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and a fair system of justice.
Posted 4/16/2008
Click here to view the new video.

The State Court Judiciary: A Program for Reform
On April 8, AJS staff members attended and participated in a program at Fordham Law School entitled “Enhancing Judicial Independence, Accountability, and Selection for the State Court Judiciary: A Program for Reform.”
Posted 4/15/2008
Click here for more details.

AJS responds to proposed selection reform in Missouri
The Missouri House of Representatives is currently considering a proposal (HCS HJR 49) that would alter the Missouri Plan for judicial selection.
Posted 3/17/2008
For additional information, click here.

Judicial Selection: How It Works, Why It Matters
AJS is pleased to offer a new guide for state legislators on the complex and critical issue of selecting state court judges. Judicial Selection: How It Works, Why It Matters is a joint product of AJS and the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.
Posted 3/1/2008
Click here to download or to order a hard copy.

Justice O'Connor directs readers to AJS website
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, in an article appearing in Parade magazine, directs readers to the AJS Judical Selection in the States website. To view this article, access Parade magazine through the link below and search for "Courts".
Posted 2/24/2008
To visit Parade magazine, click here.

In Memoriam: Deirdre O'Meara Smith
Deirdre O’Meara Smith, AJS President from 2001-2003, passed away at the age of 61 on January 26, 2008, in Beaufort, South Carolina. Mrs. Smith was a long-time leader of AJS and in her role as President presided over the organization’s move from Chicago to Des Moines in 2003.
Posted 1/31/2008
Click here for more details.

Stranger in a Strange Land - Joint AJS & ABA Midyear Program
At its Midyear Meeting in Los Angeles in early February, AJS co-sponsored a program with the ABA Judicial Division’s National Conference of Federal Trial Judges entitled “Stranger In A Strange Land: Cross-Cultural Issues in the Courts.”
Posted 1/16/2008
Click here for more information.

AJS Receives Grant to Promote Merit Selection
AJS is pleased to announce that it has received a $200,000 grant from the Open Society Institute for a two-year project—beginning January 1, 2008—to preserve and expand merit selection of judges.
Posted 1/7/2008
Click here for more details.

Slamming Judges for Political Gain
In a response to a presidential candidate’s call for a judge’s resignation, Judge Kevin Burke of the AJS Board of Directors and Judge Steven Leben of the Kansas Court of Appeals have co-authored an op-ed in the Seattle Times urging against criticism of judges for a single opinion or decision unless they have shown utter disregard for the rights of the parties or the law.
Posted 12/6/2007
Click here to read the op-ed.

AJS comments on federal judicial conduct rules
AJS submitted comments on the Draft Rules Governing Judicial Conduct and Disability Proceedings Undertaken Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 351-364, promulgated by the Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability.  The draft rules were developed to address the issues noted in the Breyer Committee Report submitted to the chief justice in September 2006. If adopted by the Conference, the rules will govern how chief judges, judicial councils, and staff handle complaints against federal judges under the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act to ensure the Act is implemented consistently in all of the federal circuits.
Posted 11/26/2007
To view the comments, click here.

AJS Statement on Pakistan
AJS is deeply concerned about the suspension of the Pakistan constitution by President Musharraf, the arrest of thousands of lawyers, and the dismissal and detention of Supreme Court judges. Such autocratic attempts to silence lawyers and quash the independence of the judiciary pose a serious threat to the rule of law.
Posted 11/7/2007
Click here to view full statement.

Judges Shouldn’t Be Elected
In a speech at a conference sponsored by the Constitution Project, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor voiced her support for merit selection of judges. “If I could wave a magic wand ... I would wave it to secure some kind of merit selection of judges across the country,” O'Connor said. She also spoke of having seen the Arizona judiciary, on which she served, improve when the state moved from partisan elections to merit selection for most of its judges.
Posted 11/7/2007
Associated Press article.

Judicial Selection in the States Website
The redesigned, updated, and expanded Judicial Selection in the States website, made possible by funding from Open Society Institute, is now online. New features and increased accessibility make this site an even more valuable go-to resource. To leave the AJS Web site and go to the Judicial Selection in the States site follow the link below.
Posted 9/6/2007
Click here to view the Judicial Selection in the States website.

Fifth Circuit Judge King to Receive National Devitt Award
Carolyn Dineen King, Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, has been selected as the 2007 recipient of the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award. King was chosen by a three-member panel chaired by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; other members of the panel are Chief Judge Deanell Reece Tacha, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; and Judge Gerard E. Lynch, U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York.
Posted 7/15/2007
Click here for more information.

AJS Names New Executive Vice-President
Neal R. Sonnett, President of the American Judicature Society (AJS), has announced that Seth S. Andersen will become its new Executive Vice President. Andersen will take over responsibilities in December.
Posted 12/13/2006
Click here for details.

 
AJS Video
This five-minute video conveys the history and essence of the mission & work of AJS.
View video.
21st National College on Judicial Conduct and Ethics
October 29-31, 2008 Chicago, Illinois
Click here for details.
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