|
The
American Bar Association has long been dedicated to the promotion and protection
of an impartial judiciary. In 1997, the ABA formed the Standing Committee on
Judicial Independence, which has a particular focus on state and local
judiciaries. The Standing Committee was created to promote public awareness
about the values of an independent, accountable and efficient judiciary, to
assist in responding to unwarranted criticism of the judiciary, and to promote
improvements to state judicial selection systems. The Standing Committee
sponsored policy adopted by the ABA House of Delegates in August 2002 calling on
state and local bar associations to take the lead in forming judicial campaign
conduct committees.
The American Judicature Society is a nonpartisan
organization with a national membership of judges, lawyers, and non-legally
trained citizens interested in the administration of justice. Through research,
educational programs, and publications, AJS's primary areas of focus are:
-
Judicial
Independence
-
Judicial
Conduct and Ethics
-
Judicial
Selection
-
The
Jury
-
Court
Administration
-
Public
Understanding of the Justice System
-
Judicial
Ethics
-
The
First Amendment and Judicial Campaign Speech
by James Alfini, Professor of Law at Northern Illinois University College of Law,
and Judge
Charles Kahn, First District Court of Appeal of Florida- prepared for American Judicature Society
Conference
The
Constitution Project, based at the Georgetown University Public Policy
Institute, is a bipartisan nonprofit organization that seeks consensus on
controversial legal and governance issues through a unique combination of
scholarship and activism. The
Project's Courts Initiative helps to educate policymakers and the public about
the important role that judges play in protecting the rights established under
the U.S. Constitution, to ensure that our state and federal courts remain free
to dispense justice fairly, and to support reform efforts to promote judicial
independence by reducing the influence of money and politics in judicial
selection.
The
Justice at Stake Campaign is a nonpartisan national campaign working to keep our
courts fair and impartial. Across America, Campaign partners help protect
our courts through public education, grass-roots organizing and reform.
The Campaign provides strategic coordination and brings unique organizational,
communications and opinion research resources to the work of its partners and
allies at the national, state and local levels.
The National Center for State Courts, headquartered in
Williamsburg, Va., works to improve justice by providing leadership and service
to the country’s state courts. To accomplish this, The National Center
anticipates new developments, identifies best practices, promotes innovation,
and evaluates court performance.
|
