In This Issue:

• NAWJ Midyear Meeting and Leadership Conference, March 11-13, Laguna Beach, California
• Maryland's Waxter Center for Young Women is Site of Color of Justice Program
• White & Case Mounts Firm-Organized Color of Justice-MentorJet Program
• NPR AUDIO: Alaska's Native American Youth Attend Color of Justice-MentorJet Program, Past President Dana Fabe Remarks
• Reserve Your Room and Register Now for the Annual Conference in Newark, New Jersey, October 12 - 16, 2011
• Share Your News in NAWJ's Counterbalance Newsletter: Submission Deadline is March 11, 2011
• NAWJ is Now on Facebook, Click the 'Like' Button on NAWJ's Facebook Page

NAWJ MIDYEAR MEETING
AND LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

(click here to download brochure)

March 11-13, 2011
Laguna Beach, California

SURF & SAND RESORT
Reservations: 888-869-7569
www.surfandsandresort.com
NAWJ Rate: $199/night, plus applicable taxes

Conference Highlights (subject to change)

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Early arrivals enjoy Laguna Beach, and Disneyland!

Friday, March 11, 2011
BREAKFAST
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Top of the Surf Room

EDUCATION PROGRAM
Removing Obstacles to Justice for Immigrant Women and their Families
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Sand Castle Room

Moderator:
Hon. Joan V. Churchill, Immigration Judge (Retired)
NAWJ Projects Chair, Arlington, Virginia

Panelists:
Immigration Judge Dana Leigh Marks
President, National Association of Immigration Judges, San Francisco, California

Dr. John A. Martin, Director
Center for Public Policy Studies, Immigration & the State Courts Initiative

Leslye E. Orloff, Esq., Vice President and Director
Immigrant Women Program, Legal Momentum, Washington, D.C.

Steve Weller, J.D., Ph.D., Senior Consultant
Center for Public Policy Studies, Immigration & the State Courts Initiative

KEYNOTE LUNCHEON
Daryl Hannah, Actress and Documentary Filmmaker on Human Trafficking
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location: Aquaterra Courtyard

PRESENTATION and CONVERSATION
Justice Eileen Moore, California Court of Appeal
Hollywood vs. the Supreme Court, Ten Decades of Racial Decision and Film
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Pelican Room

JUDICIAL RECEPTION
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Poolside

Saturday, March 12, 2011
BREAKFAST
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Sandpiper Room

DISTRICT DIRECTORS MEETING
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Location: Pelican Room

NAWJ BOARD MEETING
Time: 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Pelican Room
Those not attending the Board Meeting - enjoy Laguna Beach and Disneyland!
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

JUDICIAL RECEPTION
Time: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Montage, 30801 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

Hotel Guests: Trolleys will depart the Surf and Sand at 5:00 p.m. for a tour of Laguna Beach followed by a sunset champagne reception at Montage. Trolleys will return at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 13, 2011
FAREWELL BREAKFAST
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Location: Sandpiper Room

Click here to download registration form.

SPONSORS
Gold: $5,000
Skorheim & Associates, AAC
The Law Offices of Steven R. Young

Silver: $2,500 
Aitken*Aitken*Cohn
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Newmeyer & Dillion, LLP

Bronze: $1,000
Law Offices of Marjorie G. Fuller
JAMS and Justice Sheila Prell Sonenshine (Ret.)
Judicate West
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Minyard Morris LLP
ADR Office of Michelle A. Reinglass

Supporter:
Bremer Whyte Brown & O'Meara, LLP
John C. Hueston, Esq.
Keller Rackauckas LLP

Individual:
Holly J. Fujie, Esq., Buchalter Nemer

Maryland Takes Color of Justice to the Thomas J.S. Waxter Center

The Waxter Center has a detention program for up to fifty minor girls and offers a 'secure commitment' program for up to ten girls. The Center serves girls from Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George's counties and Baltimore City. This year, Color of Justice organizers member judges Hon. Toni E. Clarke, Hon. Angela M. Eaves, and Hon. Cathy Hollenberg Serrette, supported presenters Valeria Tomlin, Aquanetta "Addie" Momyer, Tiffany Harvey, and Judy Pichler presented an afternoon program of information, opportunity and encouragement to the young women who will soon return to their communities. They were joined by a host of Waxter Center Residential Group Life Managers, Case Managers, Superintendant Johnitha McNair, Southern Regional Director Douglas Mohler and Deputy Sheri Meisel.

After opening introductions in the 'Judges and Lawyers Making a Difference' session, both the organizing judges and lawyers discussed why they chose the law as a career, their responsibilities, and the challenges and rewards of their profession. They shared their own life experiences, work experiences and stressed the meaning and importance of collegiality.

A talk on 'Law as a Career: Preparing the Way' given by Judge Eaves, Tiffany Harvey, Addie Momyer, and Judge Serrette's law clerk Judy Pichler drilled down on academic requirements and skills that participants will need in order to succeed in a career in law and the different options available to law school graduates. These panelists also discussed how they became interested in a career in the law, and how they prepared academically during high school and college.

More informal conversations could be heard in the 'Getting Real with the Bench and Bar' breakout session where participants asked any questions they wanted, received feedback, and explored their own history and feelings about the law and judiciary.

The program was so well received the Center has asked the judges to return and present the program again.

About the Thomas J. S. Waxter Center The Waxter Center, renamed in 1963 to honor Thomas J. S. Waxter, the Director of the State Department of Public Welfare from 1953 until his death in 1962, has a detention program for up to fifty minor girls and secure commitment program for up to ten girls. Waxter serves Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, and Prince George's counties and Baltimore City. The Center is located in Laurel, Maryland.

Landmark Sponsor White & Case LLP Mounts Color of Justice Program in its Washington, D.C. Offices

Almost a year ago Resource Board member Nicole Erb approached NAWJ and declared "we want to be more involved." An ongoing relationship between members of the firm and The Washington Middle School for Girls nicely extended itself into a Color of Justice presentation which took place February 17, 2011 in White & Case's newly built Japanese inspired offices in downtown Washington, D.C. The middle school girls were 'queens for the day' as White & Case set a new standard for Color of Justice.

Firm attorney organizers Eileen Cole, (pictured above) Shella Augustin, Ting-Ting Kao, Melanie Carridi, Charise Naifeh, planned a daylong education program for 37 seventh and eighth grade students at The Washington Middle School for Girls that led with informative presentations by longtime expert Color of Justice speakers and local Judges Anna Blackburne-Rigsby; Administrative Law Judge Mary Masulla; and Hon. Joan Churchill.

Antonia Soares, a trial attorney in the Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice talked to the young women about "Advocating for Yourself." Also, White & Case's Shella Augustin and Asia Johnson (pictured right with Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby) shared their own growing up experiences in "Take Hold of Your Future," a realistic look at what it will take to build a life from middle school to a career in the law while navigating the terrain of their current lives.

During the 'Trivia Lunch' the Washington Middle School for Girls students, were joined by White & Case attorneys and legal assistants, who broke into groups and answered questions about the law. We learned at the end of the day that the smart gathering produced three winning groups who won  Barnes & Noble gift cards. As the groups finalized their trivia answers, the program seamlessly transitioned into a creative take on another NAWJ outreach program, MentorJet. In this instance White & Case attorneys, White & Case legal assistants, area high school teachers, administrators, and high school students networked and discussed steps the students can take in high school and beyond to orient themselves toward a legal career.  On hand were personnel from the middle school students' leading high school short list: Ms. Charlene Howard, Freshman Guidance Counselor, Archbishop Carroll High School; Ms. Jean Plummer, Director of Campus Ministry, Connelly School of the Holy Child; and Ms. Eve Grimaldi, Dean of Students, Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Though late in the afternoon the students eagerly crossed the room with their MentorJet passports to talk and to collect business cards from as many people as they could. Kathleen McMackin, Washington Middle School for Girls Director of Development and Community Outreach (pictured above right facing two of the day's speakers Judge Churchill and Judge Masulla) could not have been more pleased with the range of academic, legal and community outreach directed toward the young women.

After a brief break everyone was treated to Howard University School of Law Professor Patricia M. Worthy's (pictured right) personal story of her journey to the legal profession and her involvement in the civil rights struggles of the sixties, and the movement's leading lights.

All attendees found the students simply delightful, and the care and attention of White & Case extraordinary. Plans are in the works for supporting White & Case in future productions.

About the Washington Middle School for Girls:
The Washington Middle School for Girls is rooted in the heritage of three courageous women and educators: Mary McLeod Bethune, Cornelia Connelly, and Claudine Thevenet. In their spirit, The School provides a caring and safe environment for young girls who are living in an under-served urban area and are at risk of leaving school prematurely. The Washington Middle School for Girls offers a solid and holistic education in the Catholic educational tradition, featuring intellectual challenge, respect for diversity, and support for the spiritual, social and emotional growth of each student.

About White & Case LLP:
Founded in New York in 1901, White & Case, a global law firm, has 36 offices in 25 countries around the world. Their clients include many of the world's most respected and well-established companies, visionary start-ups, governmental organizations and state-owned entities. In emerging and established markets, their lawyers use their knowledge of the laws, business practices and culture to advise our clients on their cross-border business. White & Case's practices, systems and people are integrated across offices and jurisdictions, allowing them to leverage our global knowledge and resources to ensure our clients receive the same quality service, wherever they may be.

Alaska Presents Color of Justice in Sitka

Click here to hear NPR's audio segment of Sitka's Color of Justice program, remarks from attendees NAWJ Past President Fabe, Hon. Roy Madsen, Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Walter Carpenti, students, and many others. According to the reporter: "In the history of the state, there's only been one Alaska Native Superior Court judge. His name is Roy Madsen, and he served from 1975 until 1990. He's 87 years old now, and on Tuesday, he spoke at Mount Edgecumbe High School, in an interview conducted by state Supreme Court Justice Walter Carpeneti."

Over 75 students at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka, a boarding school with a student body that is predominantly Alaska Native from over 100 villages across Alaska, experienced NAWJ's increasingly popular Color of Justice.

To read an account of the day, click here.

Global Women's Issues
NAWJ's 33rd Annual Conference

October 12 - 16, 2011
Hilton Newark Penn Station Hotel
Newark, New Jersey

Reservations: (973) 622-5000
NAWJ Rate: $170/night, plus applicable taxes

Conference Chair
The Honorable Sue Pai Yang, Judge, New Jersey Workers' Compensation Court
Co-Chair
Associate Dean Frances Bouchoux, Rutgers School of Law, Newark

Conference Highlights (subject to change)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
2010-2011 Board Meeting
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

First time attendees meeting
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception at a place offsite TBD
Time: 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 13, 2011
Opening Session and Plenary
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Sponsors Luncheon at the Newark Club
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Friday, October 14, 2011
NAWJ District Breakfast Meetings
Time: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Promoting Global Equality for Women through the Law at the Rutgers School of Law, Newark
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 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. We would ask the panelists to 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.

Introduction

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: 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.

Luncheon and Keynote Address

Panel 3: Global Reproductive Health
According to the CDC, reproductive health is critical to improving the health of women, children, and families throughout the world. This panel will examine legal and cultural barriers to reproductive health in developing nations and among refugee populations and the role of law in improving reproductive health for all women.

Panel 4: 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.

Saturday, October 15, 2011
NAWJ Committee Breakfast Meetings
Time: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

NAWJ Business Meeting
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Education Sessions at the Seton Hall University School of Law
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

NAWJ Investiture Luncheon
Time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

2011-2012 Board Meeting
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Free time to sightsee.

Silent Auction and Banquet Gala
Time: 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 16, 2011
Closing Breakfast
Time: 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.

Share Your News in Counterbalance!

Deadline March 11, 2011

NAWJ's Counterbalance newsletter is a wonderful communication vehicle that provides a digest of member happenings from across the country. It is an opportunity to highlight the many interesting activities that this organization sponsors and the causes it supports. Consider sharing with your fellow colleagues. If you have female judges in your state who have been recently appointed, or if they have been promoted or received an honor, let us know that too. NAWJ will also consider publishing an essay, address or article deemed of interest to fellow colleagues.

The deadline for submitting information for the next issue of Counterbalance is March 11, 2011. Please pass articles, announcements, and event highlights to Lavinia Cousin at lcousin@nawj.org.

If you have any questions or problems getting something to Lavinia, please don't hesitate to call (202-393-0222) or e-mail lcousin@nawj.org.

NAWJ Launches Social Networking on Facebook Page!

Find us on Facebook and check us out here. NAWJ will promote events and limited Board approved announcements.
Help us spread the word about NAWJ by clicking the 'Like' button on our page to become a 'Fan' of NAWJ and automatically receive updates as new information is posted.

Events

The International Association of Women Judges 2012 Bi-Annual Conference will take place May 2 - May 5 in London, United Kingdom.
NAWJ's 2012 Annual Conference will take place in Miami, Florida, November 7-11.
NAWJ's 2013 Annual Conference will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana

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.