NAWJ Monthly Update September 2015
Written by National Association of Women Judges|September 01, 2015|Monthly Update Archive
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Greetings,
The 2015 NAWJ Annual Conference and Meeting in beautiful Salt Lake City is just a month away. The expansive array of
engaging educational programs, the quality of the keynote speakers, the range of cultural and natural activities
specific to the area, and the cutting edge venues make this an exceptional conference - one not to miss. The jam
packed four day agenda is readily available on the NAWJ website. Do not
delay - the time to register is NOW!
Additionally, the Annual Conference is the time we pause for a few moments each year to recognize those amongst
us who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to the mission driven goals of NAWJ. We do so by
presenting awards bearing the names of our organization's courageous and visionary founding 'mothers:' Justices
Joan Dempsey Klein and Vaino Spencer, and in the names of three dedicated, inspiring and prominent women in the
profession who have furthered the aspirational goals of NAWJ through unwavering perseverance: Mattie Belle Davis,
Florence K. Murray and Norma Winkler. I will have the true honor and privilege at the October 10th gala dinner of
presenting these awards to the following NAWJ notables:
Joan Dempsey Klein Honoree of the Year: Justice Shirley Abrahamson. Justice Abrahamson, the
longstanding former Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and former Board Chair of the National Center
for State Courts, has relentlessly and passionately over more than two decades championed with laser point focus
the importance and necessity of an independent and diverse judiciary, dedicated to the rule of law, for the
well-being of our society.
Justice Vaino Spencer Award: Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby, on the
Washington D.C. Court of Appeals, has actively demonstrated through outstanding leadership in her years as a
board member and President a tireless commitment to advancing through action the core values of NAWJ, especially
in the areas of promoting women and minorities in the judiciary, ensuring access to justice, and combatting the
threat to fair and impartial courts, all the while raising our collective conscience to the evils of implicit bias.
Florence K. Murray Award: Karen Johnson-McKewan, Esq. Ms. Johnson-McKewan, a partner in the
internationally recognized Orrick firm who specializes in complex civil litigation, collaborated with the NAWJ
Board of Directors, along with co-chair Elaine Metlin, to restructure the Resource Board, and thus transformed it
into a mutually beneficial liaison with lawyers and corporations who commit to supporting NAWJ through financial
and volunteer contributions; Ms. McKewan has been instrumental in obtaining studies re: the status of women in
the legal profession, critical in the early stages to the Informed Voters - Fair Judges project, and a lightning
rod and mentor for the advancement of women in the profession, as evidenced by her dynamic NAWJ panel presentations.
Mattie Belle Davis Award: Cathy Winter. Ms. Winter, who is CourtCall's Director of Corporate
Development, has devoted endless time and expertise to many NAWJ projects - most recently on our NAWJ Website
Improvement Committee, participated in the making of the Fair Girls Video Training, and has attended and help
fund through CourtCall key NAWJ events, including becoming the first corporate sponsor of the 2016 Biennial,
as well as many annual conferences and this year's Congressional Women's Caucus Luncheon focusing on incarcerated
women's issues; Ms. Winter is always a pitch perfect ambassador for NAWJ.
Excellence in Service Award (Norma Winkler): Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Wisconsin Supreme Court
Justice Bradley's sharp legal expertise, wise judgment and negotiating skills were instrumental in reaching an
agreement with IAWJ for NAWJ to host the 2016 IAWJ Biennial in Washington D.C., as well as in crafting significant
international and domestic resolutions for the NAWJ Board and membership, advancing the objectives of the Informed
Voters-Fair Judges project, and in addressing ongoing issues as NAWJ's International Director - and always does
so with such grace and grit.
**
Also, of significance at this annual meeting will be the discussion at the business meeting on the morning of
October 10th of proposed amendments to three NAWJ Bylaws:
(1) Article III: Membership (clarification of the eligibility, rights and responsibilities of each member by
category); (2) Article VI: Board of Directors (clarification of the eligibility to continue as a District
Director if no longer a sitting judge); (3) Article VIII: Representatives to Other Organizations: (expansion
of the eligibility to serve as the NAWJ delegate to the ABA House of Delegates; timing of the election and
term of service.) See the proposed amendments to the NAWJ Bylaws published in this monthly update.
And, lastly, as we look forward with great anticipation to the truly incomparable 2016 IAWJ Biennial May 26-29
in Washington D.C., we will proudly administer the oath of office to our stellar slate of new officers (with
the membership's approval) at the close of the business meeting, and gear up for what promises to be a most
exciting and dynamic year under the leadership of our inspiring and energetic incoming NAWJ President,
Judge Lisa Walsh.
See you at the kickoff in the stunning Grand Hotel in Salt Lake City Salt Lake City on October 7th!
Warm Regards,
Julie
Judge Julie E. Frantz
President's Calendar
September: Meeting in Seattle re: 2016 NAWJ Annual Conference
Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby was sworn in as the
34th President of the National Association of Women Judges at its Annual Meeting in New Orleans,
LA, on October 12, 2013. During her installation ceremony, Judge Blackburne-Rigsby remarked
that, "through education and outreach programs, NAWJ is poised for Ensuring Access to Justice
for All." Judge Blackburne-Rigsby further remarked that she will expand partnerships and
collaborations to ensure that the "important work of NAWJ will impact a wider audience." She
is this year's recipient of NAWJ's Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award. Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby
was nominated by President George W. Bush to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in August 2006.
Prior to her appointment to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Judge Blackburne-Rigsby
was nominated by President William Jefferson Clinton to the Superior Court of the District of
Columbia and served from 2000-2006. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby previously served as a Magistrate
Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 1995-2000. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby
chairs the District of Columbia Courts' Standing Committee on Fairness and Access, and serves as
Co-Chair of the District of Columbia's Access to Justice Commission. In addition to her work
with NAWJ, she also serves as Chair of the Board of Managerial Trustees for the International
Association of Women Judges (IAWJ).
Cathy Winter is the Director of Corporate Development
at CourtCall, LLC, located in Los Angeles. CourtCall is responsible for managing an innovative
teleconferencing system, introduced in 1996, that facilitates non-evidentiary pretrial proceedings
enabling attorneys to make such appearances remotely. The service is widely used today, servicing
hundreds of State, Federal, Bankruptcy, and Provincial Courts across the United States and Canada.
Cathy Winter became a member of NAWJ's Resource Board in 2012. Since that time she has been involved
in numerous initiatives all of which have greatly benefitted the organization. Ms. Winter served on
the Planning Committee for NAWJ's 36th Annual Conference in San Diego, is an active member of NAWJ's
Website Committee, and was instrumental in realizing this year meeting with the Congressional Women's
Caucus on Capitol Hill. Ms. Winter also serves on the Board of Directors of Western Justice Center,
a non-profit organization that designs and implements programs aiming to promote effective conflict
resolution in school and community settings.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley serves
as International Director for NAWJ. She is the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the International
Judicial Academy and has served as an international lecturer for the Academy, the American Bar
Association's Asia Law Initiative, and the U.S. Department of State. Currently she also serves as the
state coordinator of iCivics, a civics education program founded by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor, and as the North American delegate to the Board of Directors of the International
Women Judges Association. Justice Bradley was in private practice until becoming a circuit court judge
in Marathon County in 1985. She was elected to the Supreme Court in 1995 and re-elected in 2005 and 2015.
She has been an NAWJ member since 2007. Justice Bradley is an elected member of the American Law
Institute as well as a member of the American Judicature Society, the State Bar Bench-Bar Committee,
the Board of Visitors of the UW Law School, and the Federal-State Judicial Council. She is a past associate
dean of the Wisconsin Judicial College and has formerly served as a Commissioner of the National
Conference on Uniform Laws, Chair of the Wisconsin Rhodes Scholarship Committee, and a member of the
Wisconsin Judicial Council. Justice Bradley is a native of Richland Center, Wisconsin. She was a high
school teacher before entering the University of Wisconsin Law School, where she earned her law degree.
She and her husband, Mark, live in Wausau where they raised their four children.
Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson
was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Gov. Patrick Lucey in 1976. She was
then the only woman to serve on the court. She won election to the court in 1979
and re-election in 1989, 1999, and 2009. Since August 1, 1996, she has been chief
justice and, in that capacity, serves as the administrative leader of the Wisconsin
court system.
Before joining the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Abrahamson was in private practice
in Madison for 14 years and was a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
She is a past president of the National Conference of Chief Justices and past
chair of the board of directors of the National Center for State Courts. She also
has served as chair of the National Institute of Justice's National Commission on
the Future of DNA Evidence. She is a member of the Council of the American Law
Institute, the New York University School of Law Institute of Judicial Administration.
She also has served on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Commission on the Delivery of
Legal Services, the American Bar Association's Coalition for Justice, and the National
Academies' Science, Technology and Law panel.
Born and raised in New York City, Chief Justice Abrahamson received her bachelor's
degrees from NYU in 1953, her law degree from Indiana University Law School in 1956,
and a doctorate of law in American legal history in 1962 from the UW Law School. She
is the recipient of 15 honorary doctor of laws degrees and the Distinguished Alumni
Award of the UW-Madison. She is a fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected member of the American
Philosophical Society. In 2004, she received the American Judicature Society's
Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence. In 2009 the National Center for State
Courts awarded her the Harry L. Carrico Award for Judicial Innovation, for serving as a
national leader in safeguarding judicial independence, improving inter-branch relations,
and expanding outreach to the public.
Karen G. Johnson-McKewan, an Intellectual
Property partner in Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP's San Francisco office, is a
trial lawyer who concentrates her practice on complex intellectual property and
commercial litigation for technology and consumer products companies. Ms.
Johnson-McKewan has significant experience litigating and trying particularly intricate
cases in which the translation of complex technology issues into plain English is
invaluable. Her engagements have involved matters in technology, internet, financial,
e-commerce, retail, software and gaming industries in a diverse set of courts and multiple
arbitral bodies. She served as Orrick's San Francisco Office Leader from 2005 to 2008.
Ms. Johnson-McKewan joined the NAWJ Resource Board in 2005, and served as its co-chair
from 2006 to 2009. Among her many accomplishments during that period, Ms.
Johnson-McKewan secured Forster-Long, Inc.'s partnership in producing a statistical
summary of gender ratios of the judiciary in every state of the country. In 2011,
Ms. Johnson-McKewan assumed the responsibilities of co-chair of the Resource Board
for a second time and together with Elaine Metlin has played a critical role in moving
NAWJ forward. Ms. Johnson-McKewan also serves as vice-chair of NAWJ's California
Coordinating Committee for the Informed Voters/Fair Judges Project (IVP). Orrick
has been a substantial resource for the IVP. Its generous financial contributions
and pro bono work of its attorneys have preserved NAWJ's tax-exempt status and the
independence of IVP's intellectual property. Ms. Johnson-McKewan received her B.A.
from the University of California, Davis and her law degree from the University of
California, Davis School of Law.
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