NAWJ Monthly Update December 2018
Written by National Association of Women Judges|December 11, 2018|Monthly Update Archive
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Happy Holidays!
Dear members,
Please read this important message and consider my plea!
Let me first start by wishing you all the best of happiness and health during this holiday season. While we
celebrate the holidays, we must also think of all those who were victims of the recent earthquake in Alaska
and the fires in California that took many lives and destroyed numerous homes. Our hearts go out to all of you,
your families, and communities who have been affected by those natural disasters. We hope that you are able
to rebuild your homes soon and heal your wounds by the help of your loved ones and friends. Our thoughts
are prayers are with all of you.
On Dec. 10, 2018, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turned 70 years old and we celebrated the
International Human Rights Day everywhere in the world. Eleanor Roosevelt, one of the greatest women in
American History was the chairperson of the drafting committee of Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
But, she was not alone; there were two other influential female delegates to the Human Rights Commission to
the UN in NY who also played significant roles shaping this awesome document. These women were Minerva
Bernadino of Dominican Republic and Anna Figueroa of Chile. We celebrate all these great women. While the
promise of this document is yet to be fully realized, the fact that it has withstood the test of time tells
us of the global values of equal dignity of human beings and the universal justice that we all stand up for.
NAWJ, the leading voice of women in judiciary, with its mission of equal access to justice for all, will
continue to educate the masses on the importance of human rights, and will stand up for all those who cannot
stand up for themselves.
With this important mission in mind, we need you to assist us to increase our membership in order to be more
effective and make a bigger impact. In the next few months, I am going to urge each of you to bring one
member into NAWJ to join our team and work with us. We have a whole host of new judges appointed to the
bench across the country in the last few weeks. Please meet your new colleagues, both men and women, and
invite them to join NAWJ at the introductory membership rate of $130.00. Alternatively, give a gift of membership
to your new colleague during this season of giving. It might be the best gift you ever give a just-minded
colleague who is determined to make a difference in this world. Please also remember that NAWJ welcomes
attorneys and law professors, who are equally passionate about the NAWJ mission, to join our organization
as a non-voting member and join hands with us to make a difference together. Please help us to reach our
goal of doubling our membership in 2019.
Tamila E. Ipema
NAWJ Informed Voters Project national Co-Chair Chief
Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye of the California Supreme Court, and Judicial Independence Committee
Co-Chairs Justice Barbara Pariente of Florida and Justice Robin Hudson of North Carolina, will
participate in a Judicial Roundtable at The National Press Club on December 13, 2018. The presentation
is part of a national symposium offered by the National Judicial College, and will bring together
the country's most prominent members of the judiciary and the media. Discussions will address recent
attacks on judicial independence and freedom of the press, as well as their potential consequences
for American democracy. Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent, National Public Radio will also
participate in the program along with other journalists and judges from throughout the country. The
NAWJ Informed Voters, Fair Judges Project will have an exhibit on display during the event.
The symposium entitled "Undermining the Courts and the Media: The Consequences for American Democracy,"
will be held December 13, 2018 from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
The link below will provide additional information including a draft agenda and registration details.
For information, click 
The President of the National Judicial College (NJC), Judge Benes Z. Aldana (Ret.), attended NAWJ's 2018
Annual Conference in San Antonio to present longtime NAWJ member, the Honorable Jennifer Gee with the
NJC's V. Robert Payant Award for Faculty Excellence (photo). President Aldana selected Judge Gee to
receive the NJC's highest faculty recognition based upon a nomination by NJC's
Renee Stackhouse, Esq. is the founder of Stackhouse, APC, where she focuses on plaintiff personal injury, and
military and criminal defense in San Diego, California. She will co-chair the newly formed NAWJ "Mothers in Court"
Committee. The Committee will identify issues mothers face in the courtroom, from the bench to counsel table,
courtroom staff and jurors. The committee seeks to raise awareness, provide education, and offer methods of
addressing issues mothers in court face across the nation. Ms. Stackhouse encountered some of these hurdles
while pregnant with her now 22-month old son Gabriel during her first trial after his birth when he was only
a few weeks old. She has spoken about her experiences on attorney accommodations at judicial conferences in
order to champion her colleagues who have experienced similar conditions.
Attorney Stackhouse will also become a member of NAWJ's Publications Committee. She will interview mothers
about their experiences in the courtroom and share her findings. If you are a judge or lawyer interested in
being interviewed, please contact Ms. Stackhouse via email at
The Hon. Judith Chirlin recently retired as Executive Director of the Western Justice Center. She was
honored by the Center at its Annual Justice Awards Gala on Nov 17, 2018 as a recipient of its 2018
Champion of Justice Award. The Gala was co-chaired by former NAWJ Resource Co-Chair Cathy Winter,
who is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Western Justice Center. Judge Chirlin served
on the Board of Directors for the Center for many years, and upon retiring from the bench (Los Angeles
Superior Court), she became the Western Justice Center's Executive Director. The Champion of Justice
Award was presented to Judge Chirlin by the Hon. Dorothy W. Nelson, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Nelson was honored by NAWJ at its 2017 Midyear Meeting and Lady Justice Awards Gala in
Beverly Hills, California in June, 2017.
NAWJ President Judge Tamila Ipema recently appointed NAWJ's ABA Delegate Judge Toni Clarke to serve as
NAWJ's representative on the ABA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council. This entity, which
includes representatives from various ABA entities, national affinity bars, and other groups,
focuses on diversity and inclusion initiatives.
A reception was held on October 16, 2018 at the offices of 
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