http://www.nawj.org/files/monthly_update/august_2011.html 

In This Issue:
Nomination Slate Announced for 2010-2011 NAWJ Board Officer Positions
Register Today for the NAWJ's Annual Conference in Newark, New Jersey, October 12 - 16, 2011
BOOK DRIVE: View NAWJ's Book Wish List at Amazon and Support Women in Prison
Excursions though New Jersey and New York City Planned During the 2011 Annual Conference
Note from IAWJ: Opportunities to serve on the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice
NAWJ Board of Directors Launches Membership Drive!
NAWJ 2011-2012 Board of Directors Nomination Slate
In accordance with the NAWJ Bylaws, the Nominating Committee presents the following Nomination Slate for the 2011-2012 Board of Directors:
President
Hon. Amy L. Nechtem
(Automatically assumes office)
Massachusetts Juvenile Court, Lynn, Massachusetts
President-Elect
Hon. Joan V. Churchill
Immigration Court (Retired), Chevy Chase, Maryland
Vice President, Districts
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy
Civil Court, New York, New York
Vice President, Publications
Hon. Anna Blackburne-Rigsby
District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Washington, D.C.
Treasurer
Hon. Julie E. Frantz
Multnomah County Circuit Court, Portland, Oregon
Secretary
Hon. Maritza Segarra
Geary County District Court, Junction City, Kansas
International Director
Hon. Ann Walsh Bradley
Wisconsin Supreme Court, Madison, Wisconsin
The members of the Nominating Committee include:
Hon. Dana Fabe, Alaska Supreme Court, Chair
Hon. Judith Chirlin, California Superior Court (Retired)
Hon. Jane Craney, Morgan Superior Court, Indiana
Hon. Bernice Donald, U.S. District Court, Western District of Tennessee
Hon. Carol Feinman, New York City Civil Court, New York
Hon. Debra James, New York State Supreme Court
Hon. Rosemary Ledet, Civil District Court, Louisiana
Hon. Brenda Stith Loftin, St. Louis County Circuit Court, Missouri
Hon. Brenda Murray, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Hon. Cara Lee Neville, 4th Judicial District Court, Minnesota
Hon. Mary M. Schroeder, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, Arizona
Hon. Bea Ann Smith, Third Court of Appeals, Texas (Retired)
The election of officers shall be held at a general session of the Annual Meeting on Saturday October 15, 2011.
Global Women's Issues
NAWJ's 33rd Annual Conference
October 12 - 16, 2011
Hilton Newark Penn Station Hotel
Newark, New Jersey
Room Reservations: (973) 622-5000
NAWJ Rate: $170/night, plus applicable taxes
Dear NAWJ Members and Friends,
The following is just a small glimpse at the excitement that will be the New Jersey NAWJ Conference October 12 to 16, 2011 at the Hilton in Newark. Register now so you don't miss any of the luminaries who will teach or speak and socialize with you at the conference.
You will be greeted by the second largest, beautiful sculpture of Abraham Lincoln outside the Historic Essex County Court House. The artist, Gutzon Borglum, also sculpted Mount Rushmore. The refurbished wood and murals inside the courthouse will be the backdrop for a gala reception on your first night at the conference.
Annette Gordon Reed famed for "the Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family" will be the featured speaker Friday evening October 14. Previously a history professor at Rutgers, she is now a professor at Harvard University's Law School.
We will be honored at our gala dinner on Saturday night with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as our speaker. Besides initiating and bringing prominence to the fight women had and continue to have for equality, Justice Ginsburg's illustrious career included a few years teaching at Rutgers Law School.
In support of New York Women in Prison Committee initiatives NAWJ is organizing a book drive in conjunction with this year's Conference to benefit the library at the Taconic Correctional Facility in New York and for Women at a facility in New Jersey. Please take a moment and join this effort.
Click here to reach the Conference website and find out more details about the entire program that will be presented at the Newark, New Jersey conference. Besides having a wonderful time you will be able to earn CLE credits.
The Judiciary of New Jersey and the rest of NAWJ District Three look forward to making this educational, social and travel event the highlight of your 2011 experiences.
See you soon in Newark,
NAWJ 2011 Annual Conference Planning Committee
Global Women's Issues
Hilton Newark Penn Station Hotel
Newark, New Jersey
Room Reservations: (973) 622-5000
NAWJ Rate: $170/night, plus applicable taxes
Conference Registration Fees*
NAWJ New Member 1st Time Attendee:    $375 (Attending within the first three years of joining)
NAWJ Member 1st Time Attendee:    $450
NAWJ Member Attendee:    $475
Non-NAWJ Member Attendee:    $495
Guest:    Does not include education sessions. $450
*Please add $50 to each category after September 16, 2011
Download the Conference Agenda at a Glance here, and the Registration Form here.
Conference Chair
The Honorable Sue Pai Yang, Judge, New Jersey Workers' Compensation Court
Co-Chair
Associate Dean Frances Bouchoux, Rutgers School of Law, Newark
Other Executive Committee
District 3 Director    Judge Sandra Ann Robinson
NAWJ New Jersey Chapter Chair    Judge Michelle Hollar-Gregory
Education Programs    Judge Rosemary Gambardella
Conference Highlights
(subject to change)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Pre-conference Tours of Local Courts for International Judges
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
2010-2011 Board Meeting
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
NAWJ Resource Board Meeting
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Pre-conference Tours of Local Courts for International Judges
Mentor/Mentee Meeting for First time Attendees and International Judges
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Welcome Reception at the Historic Courthouse
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Opening Welcome: Remarks by NAWJ President Judge Marjorie Laird Carter and Conference Chair Judge Sue Pai Yang
Conversation with Leaders on Global Women's Issues
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Friends Keynote Luncheon at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Time: 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Optional New Jersey Highlights Tour (additional fee required)
Optional Bus Trips to New York City Guided by New York Judges (additional fee required)
Late night Hospitality Hosted by the 2012 Conference Committee
Friday, October 14, 2011
NAWJ District Breakfast Meetings at the Hilton
Time: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG SYMPOSIUM AT RUTGERS SCHOOL OF LAW-NEWARK
Promoting Global Equality for Women through the Law
Rutgers School of Law, Newark
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
An all day symposium including four panel programs featuring academics, international judges, and human rights advocates discussing violence against women; human trafficking; deprivation of women's property rights; reproductive health issues; and related issues that are vital to promoting women's rights across the globe. Panelists will discuss what the law is/should be and the gaps between the law and enforcement in their respective jurisdictions. The goal would be to publish both the transcript of the symposium and scholarly articles.
Panel 1: Ending Violence Against Women
This panel will discuss cultural aspects of violence against women and what legal mechanisms exist or should exist to eliminate such violence, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) and UN Resolutions 1325 and 1820.
Panel 2: Ensuring Economic Equality for Women in a Global Society
According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, millions of women around the world who suffer deprivation of property rights "end up impoverished, struggling to meet their families' basic needs, living in decaying shacks in dangerous slums, and vulnerable to violence and disease." Studies show that gender equality promotes broad economic growth for society at large and, thus, breaking down gender barriers to educational access and job opportunities is essential to improving life for all. This panel will examine the discriminatory laws and practices that deprive women of their property rights and the role of legislators and the courts in reforming laws to protect women's economic rights an around the globe.
Panel 3: Prevention of Human Trafficking
International trafficking in human beings has become one of the fastest growing crimes around the globe, impacting disproportionately on women and children. This panel will discuss UN protocol to prevent trafficking of humans and the ABA's human trafficking assessment tool and analyze how domestic laws in various countries can be improved to address this growing epidemic.
Panel 4: Prevention of Human Trafficking II
Sponsored by Rutgers School of Law-Newark, International Association of Women Judges and the American Society of International Law.
LUNCHEON
EVENING SPEAKER RECEPTION
Location: U. S. District Courthouse
Host: Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Speaker: Professor Annette Gordon-Reed, former Professor at Rutgers University and now at Harvard University. Recipient of the 2010 MacArthur Fellowship aka "genius grant" and the 2010 National Humanities Medal presented by President Barack Obama. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History and 15 other prizes in 2009 for her publication, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.
Late night Hospitality Hosted by the 2011 Conference Committee
Saturday, October 15, 2011
NAWJ Committee Breakfast Meetings
Time: 7:15 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW
These programs are dedicated to the memory of the late Honorable Shirley Tolentino, NAWJ President 1996-97 and Seton Hal alumna.
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon
THE JUDICIAL ROLE IN CURRENT ISSUES
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Session One: Urban Revitalization: Foreclosure Crisis, Access to Education, and Prisoner Reentry Session Two: Forensic Evidence and Daubert Issues
Session Three: Cross-Cultural Issues in the Courts
Session Four: Family Law and Domestic Violence
Session Five: Immigration and Its Impact on Families
Session Six: Effective Leadership Styles 
Sponsored by Seton Hall University School of Law.
NAWJ Business Meeting Investiture Luncheon at Don Pepe Restaurant
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
2011-2012 Board Meeting at the Hilton
Time: 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
NAWJ Annual Awards Banquet
Keynote Speaker: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Time: 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Late night Hospitality Hosted by District Three
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Farewell Breakfast featuring a video montage of the Newark Conference Events
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Six Judges to be Elected to the International Criminal Court in December, 2011
Five judges to be elected to the International Court of Justice during the Fall Session of the United Nations General Assembly
One of the goals of the International Association of Women Judges is to increase the number of judges at all levels of the judiciary, including international courts. Six new judges will be elected to the International Criminal Court in December, 2011, and 5 judges will be elected for the International Court of Justice during the fall session of the United Nations General Assembly. Both courts are based in The Hague, The Netherlands. We are pleased to share details about how to be nominated to these courts and encourage our members to consider serving on these courts.
International Criminal Court (ICC). Openings for 6 judges and one prosecutor. Elections will be held in December, 2011. The IAWJ has been privileged to have a number of members serve on the ICC since its first election in 2003. Currently, 12 of the 19 judges on the ICC are women, (terrific!) and 6 of these have been IAWJ members: Judge Elizabeth Odio Benito (Costa Rica), Judge Fatoumata Dembele Diarra (Mali), Judge Anita Usacka (Latvia), Judge Joyce Aluoch (Kenya), Judge Sylvia Steiner (Brazil), and Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monogen (Botswana). For a detailed description of the qualifications, nomination and election process, and composition of the court, click here. Nominations opened June 13, 2011 and the deadline for nominations is September 2, 2011.
Please note that all judges must be from countries which are party to the Rome Statute. This does not include the United States, so members of the US-NAWJ are not eligible. Additionally, there cannot be two judges from the same country. The following countries will continue to be represented on the court and thus judges from these countries cannot be nominated for the December 2011 elections: Kenya, Germany, Finland, Ghana, Botswana, Korea, Italy, Bulgaria, Latvia, Belgium, Japan, Argentina.
International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Court's role is to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies. The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. It is assisted by a Registry, its administrative organ. Its official languages are English and French. In its 65 years of existence there have only been 3 women judges who have served as permanent judges, including two who are serving now - Joan E. Donoghue (USA) and Xue Hanqin (China). Dame Rosalyn Higgins (UK) served from 1995-2009, including as President from 2006-2009.
The process for becoming nominated to the ICJ is more private. All States parties to the Statute of the Court have the right to propose candidates. These proposals are made not by the government of the State concerned, but by a group consisting of the members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (see "History") designated by that State, i.e. by the four jurists who can be called upon to serve as members of an arbitral tribunal under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. Permanent Court of Arbitration National Groups may nominate candidates and submit nominations directly to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. We encourage interested members to get in touch with your own national government concerning this process. For more information, click here.
Remember: You must go through appropriate channels in your own country for the ICC and the ICJ. You cannot be nominated by the IAWJ nor apply through us. But we hope some of you will consider seeking nomination. Please let IAWJ know if you are nominated and if you become a candidate for either one of these courts this year!
NAWJ Board of Directors Launches Membership Drive!
Earlier this year the Board of Directors approved two exciting new member initiatives to promote membership in the organization by using one of our most engaging events of the year, the NAWJ Annual Conference.
Any person considering an initial membership in NAWJ may join for $100. This fee is almost half the $175 fee first time joiners have paid in the past. The offer is open to anyone who shares NAWJ's mission and joins between now and March 14, 2012.
The Board also approved a new registration category for the Annual Conference: New NAWJ Member First Time Attendee. Any member who is currently within the first three years of their membership may attend the Annual Conference for $375. This offer is $100 off the regular member annual conference fee. Our Annual Conferences bring out the best in NAWJ and are the most inviting elements we have in showing potential members who we are and sparking them to join.
Events
2012
NAWJ's Midyear Meeting and Leadership Conference will take place March 8 - 11 in Cambridge, Massachusetts at The Charles Hotel.
The International Association of Women Judges 2012 Bi-Annual Conference will take place May 2 - May 5 in London, United Kingdom.
NAWJ's 34th Annual Conference will take place in Miami, Florida, November 7 - 11 at the Eden Roc Renaissance Miami Beach.
2013
NAWJ's 35th Annual Conference will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2014
The 2014 International Association of Women Judges Bi-Annual Conference will take place in Tanzania May 6 - 9.
NAWJ

Mission Statement:
The National Association of Women Judges' mission is to: Promote the judicial role of protecting the rights of individuals under the rule of law through strong, committed, diverse judicial leadership, fairness and equality in the courts, and equal access to justice.

About NAWJ:
Since its formation in 1979, NAWJ has inspired and lead the American judiciary in achieving fairness and equality for vulnerable populations. Led by two visionary women - Justice Joan Dempsey Klein and Justice Vaino Spencer - 100 brave and intrepid women judges met and formed an organization dedicated to the following ideals: ensuring equal justice and access to the courts for all including women, youth, the elderly, minorities, the underprivileged, and people with disabilities; providing judicial education on cutting-edge issues of importance; developing judicial leaders; increasing the number of women on the bench in order for the judiciary to more accurately reflect the role of women in a democratic society; and improving the administration of justice to provide gender-fair decisions for both male and female litigants.

From the day it was founded, NAWJ has been committed to diversity in our membership. Our organization welcomes both men and women. We include appellate, trial, tribal, administrative law judges, state and federal judges, and members from every state in the nation.

NAWJ takes pride in its accomplishments. We were at the forefront in the establishment and implementation of gender bias task forces in both federal and state courts. We have greatly advanced the administration of justice in areas of domestic violence, child support and child custody, and the treatment of women in the courts of America. We also are respected as a leader in educating judges on bioethics, elderly abuse, the sentencing of women offenders with substance abuse problems; improving conditions for women in prison; and the problems facing immigrants in our court system. Currently we are developing curricula on the effect of genetic advances on women and vulnerable populations, the impact of international law on state and federal courts, and cognitively disabled persons in criminal courts.

In addition to addressing these and other important issues, NAWJ provides an opportunity for judges to meet and discuss professional issues of mutual concern in a supportive atmosphere. Connecting with others with the same values, we laugh, enjoy life and mentor one another nationwide.