President's Welcome

I have been fortunate to receive many honors in my career. Becoming the President of the American Judges Association is among the most special honors that I have had.

Announcement

AJA is excited to announce plans for a delegation of judges to visit Cuba to research the country’s legal system. This special invitation from AJA President Kevin Burke provides details. We hope you will consider joining AJA on this educational and exciting opportunity. As noted in the invitation, for more information contact Professionals Abroad at 1-877-298-9677, by email at professionalsabroad@academic-travel.com or on their website, www.professionalsabroad.org.

Latest News

AJA Congratulates upcoming Mid-year Speaker Hon. Michael Streit

Caroline Kennedy, left, presents the 2012 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award to Michael Streit, former
Iowa Supreme Court Justice, during a ceremony at the
JFK Library in Boston, Monday, May 7, 2012.

Photo: Elise Amendola/AP

AJA announces completion of an updated booklet for judges on domestic violence - Domestic Violence and the Courtroom, Knowing the Issues... Understanding the Victim.

Elder Abuse Online Course: AJA Input:
The National Center for State Courts, in partnership with the University of California at Irvine Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect, is creating an online elder abuse course for judges and court staff. The core components of the online course will be aligned with our elder abuse curriculum for state judicial educators, available at www.eldersandcourts.org. We are seeking your input to assist us in improving and expanding its content for the online course. (More).

AJA holds first webinar! AJA held its first webinar on January 23, with Judge Kevin Burke presenting a session on 'Leadership: Credibility in Action'. The webinar ws full with almost 150 people participating from around the country, and a lengthy waiting list. We are pleased that the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts, which generously hosted the webinar, has also sent AJA the recording of the event. You can access the recorded webinar here. [Please note you will hear Judge Burke, see the PowerPoint presentation and the 'chat room' comments by the participants, but will not see a video of Judge Burke.]

Call for Nominations: AJA announces a call for nominations for leadership positions in the association for 2012-13. Information about vacancies is available here, and all those interested must complete and submit a Declaration of Candidacy form by July 1, 2012. Any current member is welcome to submit a candidacy form.

Read or listen to a recent story from NPR on budget cuts.

AJA announces the 2012 American Gavel Awards American Gavel Awards (.pdf)

Are you prepared for your judicial election and retention election in November 2012? Mark your calendars now! Please join the AJA and National Experts for a symposium on the Methods of Judicial Retention and Companion workshop on Judicial Elections and Judicial Retention Elections May 17-19, 2012 in Nashvlle, Tennessee. Complete information is available on this website under 'Conference'.

The ABA Commission on Law and Aging announces its online Handbook for court on developing a volunteer guardianship monitoring and assistance program.

The National LBGT Bar Association announces its 2012 writing competition for law students.

AJA President Kevin Burke's article on dealing with the mentally ill recently appeared in the Minnesota Post.

AJA Immediate Past President Mary Celeste is quoted in a recent Thomson Reuters article on a New York law that increases the penalty for assaulting a judge.

AJA 2011 Award Recipients: AJA presented a number of awards at the 2011 Awards Luncheon in San Diego. Justice William Ray Price, Jr. of the Missouri Supreme Court received the Chief Justice Richard W. Holmes Award of Merit, presented to a judge for outstanding contributions to the judiciary for his work promoting problem-solving courts. The Judge William H. Burnett Award, given to an AJA member for outstanding service to the association, was given to Mary Celeste. Congressman Steven C. LaTourette was given the Glenn R. Winters Award, given to a lay person who has made a substantial contribution toward improving the judiciary, and the Judge Bob Jones Memorial Award was presented to Steve Leben to recognize significant contributions to judicial education by a member of AJA.

AJA also presented its 2011 American Gavel Award for Distinguished Reporting about the Judiciary in San Diego. The award is given to a regional and a national member of the legal journalism community and highlights the importance of journalism in educating the public about the legal system and the fundamental principles and values upon which that system is based. This year’s regional award was presented to Jim Schaefer of the Detroit Free Press for his series of articles on court ordered restitution moneys and how some courts ordered restitution which the county collected but did not give to the victims. Jan Crawford, CBS News’ Chief Legal Correspondent, received the national award. Crawford is a recognized authority on the U.S. Supreme Court whose 2007 book, ‘Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for the Control of the United States Supreme Court’ gained critical acclaim. She began covering the Court in 1994 and worked for ABC News and PBS before moving to CBS in 2009.

The American Judges Association endorses DWI Courts, as discussed in this press release from the National Center for DWI Courts.

AJA President Kevin Burke’s column on ‘Just why should we care about legal services for the poor?’ appears in the Minnesota Post. Click here for the full article.

Judge Mary Celeste to receive this top award from Colorado Women's Bar - Law Week Colorado.

AJA had developed a Strategic Plan for 2011-2013 (PDF) with four distinct goals: provide and promote education for the judiciary and the public; improve the effective administration of justice; be a leading voice for the judiciary; and enhance participation and services to AJA members.

Opinion article by AJA President Kevin Burke appears in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
1/12/11: AJA Immediate Past President Mary Celeste quoted in an msnbc.com article regarding judicial security, in response to the Tucson shooting.

Ari Shapiro, White House and legal correspondent for National Public Radio and Howard Pankratz of the Denver Post receive the American Judges Association’s first American Gavel Awards for Distinguished Reporting (read more).
Ari Shapiro’s remarks
Introduction of Howard Pankratz

AJA President Kevin Burke was interviewed by NPR’s Wendy Kaufman for a segment on ‘Tainted Foreclosures Concern State Judges’. (Story).

AJA member John Conery attended a recent meeting of the National Center for State Courts Center for Elder Abuse and the Courts Advisory Committee in Williamsburg, Virginia. While at the meeting, he filmed the introduction to an online course on elder abuse that is being developed by the Center. The Advisory Committee also has developed talking points on its major projects, and published the results of a survey on guardianship issues.

As summer ends and the flu season begins, the NCSC provides a streaming media version of our new 15 minute DVD: COOP Planning: Maintaining the Rule of Law – Planning within an All-Hazards Context.