AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION MEETS IN CHICAGO
HON . DAN TRAYNOR ABA Delegate
The American Bar Association ( ABA ) returned to an in-person format for the 2021 Annual Meeting in Chicago , Ill . The annual meeting was billed as a hybrid and only the governance arms of the association met in person . Section meetings and CLE offerings continued to gather online .
Most members of the ABA House of Delegates met in person with a few joining the meeting online . Several features used during the pandemic , like improved votetracking , continued as part of the live meeting . The ABA continues to promote a progressive ideological and social agenda through most of its resolutions .
The House of Delegates considered three amendments to the association ’ s constitution . The first sought to promote legal protection for the “ right to life of all innocent human beings including all those conceived but not yet born .” The second postponed action until the 2023 Annual Meeting on whether representation of sections and state and local bar associations should be reduced based on membership numbers . The third sought a change to the association ’ s constitution , bylaws , and rules of procedure to change gender binary language to gender nonbinary language using the singular “ their ,” “ them ,” and “ they .”
Resolution 102 encouraged members of the legal profession to devote at least 20 hours each year to efforts to advance and promote diversity , equity , and inclusion in the legal profession .
In Resolution 200 , the Virgin Island Bar Association asked the ABA to support amendment 28 U . S . C . §§ 331-32 to permit federal district judges appointed to serve on the U . S . District Courts in the Virgin Islands , Guam , and the Northern Mariana Islands to serve as voting members of the Judicial Conference of the United States .
Resolution 501 encouraged the U . S . Department of Agriculture to “ incentivize the safeguarding of the environment , human health , food safety , animal welfare and farmers ” by requiring “ adequate natural disaster preparedness ” by livestock producers in order to receive animal-loss payments through federal programs such as the Livestock Indemnity Program . The executive summary of the proposal contends that “[ u ] nlike other standing disaster assistance programs for farmers ,” the Livestock Indemnity program does not require that farmers have any risk-management program to qualify .
The Criminal Justice Section advanced several interesting resolutions . Resolution 504 urged prosecution offices across the United States to update their case management systems so unidentifiable data can be regularly pulled and analyzed on an online dashboard that is available to the public . Discretionary data appears to include prosecutorial recommendations as to pretrial release and the court ’ s decision on pretrial release , the disposition of each charge including plea offers and sentence recommendations , and case rejection rates from every step of the criminal and juvenile process for each defendant . Resolution 505 encouraged the enactment of laws to raise the minimum age for prosecution of children as juvenile delinquents to age 14 . Resolution 506 sought an end to the use of chemical agents on children and youth in juvenile and correctional facilities . Resolution 507 opposed the use of private prisons .
The Young Lawyers Division advanced several resolutions . Resolution 508 urged prosecutors not to seek or accept political contributions from police unions . Resolution 509 sought to allow CLE credit for lawyers to serve as poll or election workers on election day . Resolution 510 sought a ban on the use of no-knock warrants . Resolution 511 encouraged the enactment of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act to provide a right to reasonable accommodations , prohibit denial of employment opportunities , and provide pregnant workers the same rights and remedies provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
24 THE GAVEL