ABA midyear meeting. The Body Politic

• Author: Amanda Robert
• Pages: 59-59

ABA Insider | ABA MIDYEAR MEETING

ABA MIDYEAR MEETING

The Body

Politic

‘The personal attacks on judges

and prosecutors must cease,’

ABA president says

BY AMANDA ROBERT

Americans of all backgrounds

are paying more attention to

issues of justice, ABA Pres-

ident Judy Perry Martinez

told the House of Delegates at the 2020

ABA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas.

“They’re talking about due process

and evidence, attorney-client privilege,

fair trials and just punishment—the

imperative of the oath to protect and

defend the Constitution, no better

demonstrated than when lawyers and

public servants operating within the

framework of law are able to do so

free from obstruction, intimidation and

retribution,” Martinez said.

“However rough our current places

and spaces are, however long the arc

of the moral universe may be, justice

is and always will be our guidepost,”

she added.

Martinez said the ABA and the

Conference of Chief Justices , along with

the National Center for State Courts ,

continually address the issues presented

by their shared mission of judicial inde-

pendence, a fair and impartial judiciary,

access to justice, and a strong legal

profession that supports the rule of law.

She contended that all bar associa-

tions are responsible for ensuring the

public understands the importance of

an independent justice system.

“The personal attacks on judges and

prosecutors must cease,” Martinez said,

receiving a standing ovation. “No one—

no one—should interfere with the fair

administration of justice.

“And no one—no one—should have

to live in fear for following the law and

upholding our Constitution.”

Reuniting the republic

Martinez cited a recent report from the

Center for Strategic and International

Studies showing that foreign actors

are undermining the United States by

spreading messages on social media that

increase public divisions and mistrust

of democratic institutions, including

judges and courts.

She said the report also calls for

efforts to promote understanding of

the justice system, and she referenced

the ABA’s longtime leadership in public

education through several initiatives,

including the Judicial Division’s Nation-

al Judicial Outreach Week , Law Day,

and the Division for Public Education’s

National Civics and Law Academy .

Martinez said the ABA promotes

public awareness and advocates for

fair and impartial courts through the

Standing Committee on the Federal

Judiciary’s efforts to evaluate nominees

for lifetime positions on the federal

bench. Its Governmental Affairs Of ce

also works with volunteers across the

country to support court funding and

security, criminal justice reform and

access to justice.

Martinez told the House that

despite four years of federal govern-

ment-backed proposals to defund the

Legal Services

Corp., ABA

members have

advocated for the

organization and

assisted in helping

allocate a record

amount of funding to it this year. She

pointed out that the ABA encourages

pro bono service through a number of

initiatives.

“Despite our successes, we cannot

deny that legal aid funding and pro

bono will never come close to fully

addressing our nation’s unmet legal

needs,” Martinez said. “We—the ABA,

the leaders of state and local and

af nity bars and our af liated organiza-

tions—need to encourage bold thinking

and urge robust discussion and data

gathering about ways to deliver greater

ef ciencies for lawyers and the poten-

tial for meaningful innovations in the

long-overdue delivery of justice for all.”

‘True justice’

Reginald Turner, who became the ABA

president-elect nominee at the meeting,

also addressed the House.

Turner is a member of Detroit-based

Clark Hill, and he has served as chair of

the ABA House of Delegates Rules and

ABA President

Judy Perry

Martinez speaks

at the 2020

Midyear Meeting

in Austin, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Mitch Higgins/ABA Media Relations

ABA JOURNAL | APRIL-MAY 2020

59