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July 2013
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In This Issue:
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President's Message
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Call for Nominations of NAWJ 2013-2014 Board of Directors Positions: Deadline July 14, 2013
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NAWJ Seeks Nominations for Annual NAWJ Awards: Deadline August 15, 2013
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Register Today! NAWJ 35th Annual Conference, New Orleans, October 9-13, 2013
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Pin/Pendant Designed Especially for the New Orleans Conference for Sale
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Give the Gift of NAWJ Membership
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National Association of Women Lawyers 2013 Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon, July 25, 2013
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ABA Margaret Brent Award, Hon. Gladys Kessler Among Honorees, NAWJ Tables Update
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Pre IAWJ 2014 Biennial Conference Private Tour Offerings
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NAWJ Announces New Rural Courts Committee Leadership
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Judicial Exchange Subcommittee Seeks Volunteers for Visiting International Judges
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NCSC Court Technology Conference, Baltimore, MD, September 17-19, 2013
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Click Your Heels - A Virtual March for Gender Equity
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NAWJ Upcoming Events
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Joan Churchill - June 23, 2013
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This month I want to begin with a word of appreciation to YOU, our wonderful members, for your
membership. Without you, there would be no NAWJ. Membership is the life blood of our organization.
It provides crucial support for NAWJ's mission. It gives credibility to our voice in what
we stand for:
--diversity in the judicial system;
--a judiciary that looks like the society it serves;
--access to justice for all.
It is a delight to be involved with an organization with such an active membership, but even if
you do nothing more than belong, be assured that your membership is meaningful to the
organization and appreciated.
While there are many benefits of membership, in the end, what you give in support simply by being
a member is tremendously important. Numbers matter. Keeping up our numbers is crucial to our
ability to command respect. A few words about what you can do to help increase our numbers.
- Please make sure to renew promptly before your dues expire. For those interested in a permanent,
dues free commitment, we invite you to convert to Life Membership.
- Take steps to encourage colleagues and friends to join or rejoin. Note, we welcome male
members. Just think, if everyone would bring in just one member, our numbers would double.
Additionally, if you feel so inclined, you can give the gift of membership. See the form below.
For first time members, we now offer a special rate of only $125/year.
To make renewing every easier, Craig Evans of our staff is working with our website tech folks
to install an automatic renewal button you can select, to authorize renewals by credit card
without the need for an invoice. We encourage everyone to renew, rejoin or join online
#
where we expect to be able to offer the automatic renewal feature shortly. For those interested
in Life Membership, the $3,000 one-time dues payment can be divided into 3 installments.
As you know, there are concrete benefits to membership you can tout, in addition to the
satisfaction of helping improve the judiciary.
- There is camaraderie and networking with judges from different types of courts, from
other parts of the country and even the world.
- NAWJ members are members of the IAWJ [International Association of Women Judges].
- We provide top notch judicial education.
- We hold conferences in interesting locations.
- There is the opportunity to inspire youth to pursue legal and judicial careers, and
women in prison to lead productive lives.
My activities as your President this month provide excellent examples of the breadth of
activities in which NAWJ and its members are involved.
On June 5, NAWJ member Jenny Yang was sworn in as a commissioner of the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission. Executive Director Marie Komisar and I attended on behalf of NAWJ.
Commissioner Yang's appointment is a historic one. It marks the first time that all five
commissioners of the EEOC are female.
(Caption: IOWA NAWJ Infinity Event, June 20, 2013, Des Moines Iowa. Left to right: Hon.
Anuradha Vaitheswaran, Iowa Court of Appeals; Hon. Liza Ovram, Iowa District Court; Hon.
Karen Romano, Iowa District Court; Prof. Sally Kenney; Hon. Joan Churchill; Hon. Mary Tabor
Iowa Court of Appeals; Hon. Romonda Belcher, Iowa District Court; Hon. Celeste Bremer,
U.S. Magistrate Judge; Hon. Artis Reis, Iowa District Court.)
On June 20, the Infinity Project, which encourages the appointment of more women to positions in
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, held its annual summit. Longtime NAWJ Member Celeste
Bremmer, a Magistrate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, organized
this year's summit in Iowa. NAWJ co-sponsored the event. Hon. Joan Churchill, NAWJ President
(far left) and Hon. Karen Romano (far right), NAWJ District 9 Director, with Hon. Jane Kelly (center)
a new judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, are pictured in photo, left.
The number of female judges on the 8th United States Circuit Appeals Court doubled this month with the
appointment and confirmation of Judge Jane Kelly to a seat on that court - 20 years and 10 appointments
after the first and so far only woman to have been appointed to that court, Judge Diana Murphy of Minnesota.
I was thrilled to celebrate with Judge Kelly and judges of the 8th Circuit and the Iowa bar and bench at
the Infinity Summit, at which our member Professor Sally Kenney, Executive Director of the Newcomb Institute
at Tulane University, delivered two lectures on the importance of women on the bench.
On June 10 the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Equal Pay Act was celebrated by President Obama
at the White House, with Executive Director Marie Komisar and me in attendance (photo far left.). President
Obama lauded the progress of the past 50 years and laid out the challenge for the future to increase the
momentum to close the gap. (President Churchill in the White House lobby, photo: immediate left.)
On June 18, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Chief Judge Patricia Wald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the
D.C. Circuit, and NAWJ founding member and 3rd President, Judge Gladys Kessler, U. S. District Court for D.C.,
participated in a fascinating discussion on the history of women in the DC Circuit organized by the U.S. D.C.
Circuit Court Historical Society. Justice Ginsburg reminisced about the t-shirt NAWJ presented her that
said "I'm Ruth, not Sandra."
On May 22, Landmark Sponsor firm White & Case, LLP under the leadership of Resource Board Member Nicole
Erb, Esq., who co-chaired the Host Committee of our very successful 2013 Midyear Friends Committee, put
on NAWJ's Color of Justice and Mentor Jet programs at their offices for 6th and 7th graders who attend
the Washington Middle School for Girls. President Elect Anna Blackburne-Rigsby who sits on the DC Court
of Appeals, new NAWJ member Vanessa Hall, a Judge at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development,
and I spoke to the girls, and I participated in the Mentor Jet session. None of them currently are
contemplating a legal or judicial career, (rather they are contemplating careers such as neuroscience
and music) but we may have changed that. It was a pleasure to participate.
Later this month I shall attend a kick off reception for the 2014 Annual Conference in San Diego, as
the planning for that conference next year moves into high gear.
Thus this very month alone provides a good example of the many roles NAWJ plays. From advocacy for
filling federal judicial vacancies and appointment of women and minorities to fill them, to planning
for conferences, to putting on our signature projects such as Color of Justice and Mentor Jet, to
celebrating advancement of our members and the Equal Pay Act, you can see that NAWJ continues to fill
its multiple roles of advocating for a more inclusive judiciary, providing opportunities for networking
and camaraderie, providing top notch judicial education, and providing outreach to the disadvantaged
in our society. Thank you again for your part as a member.
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Call for Nominations for 2013-2014 NAWJ Board of
Directors Positions
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The Nominating Committee of the National Association of Women Judges seeks
nominees for the following positions in the 2013-2014 term:
President-Elect
Vice President for Districts
Vice President for Publications
Secretary
Treasurer
International Director
The duties of these positions are set out in the Bylaws, Art. X (Duties of Officers)
and Art. VIII (Representatives of Other Organizations.)
NAWJ Bylaws:
"The Nominating Committee shall present at least one (l) nominee for each
officer's position. A nomination for each officer's position also may be submitted
in writing to the Nominating Committee by petition of no less than nine (9) voting
members of the organization at least sixty (60) days prior to the Annual Meeting.
The list of nominees for each position designated by the Nominating Committee and
by petition shall be circulated to the voting membership at least thirty (30) days prior
to the Annual Meeting. Nominations for all officer positions may also be made by
voting members from the floor at the Annual Meeting provided such nominees' names
have previously been submitted to the Nominating Committee and the Nominating
Committee has failed to endorse their candidacy."
We invite you to nominate yourself or another member (with consent) for any of these offices.
Only voting members, current members who are either sitting or retired member judges,
in good standing are eligible to hold office and remain subject to the canons of
judicial conduct.
Please submit a letter stating the roles the nominee has played in NAWJ activities,
including particular accomplishments you wish to bring to the committee's attention,
and the nominee's curriculum vitae. The letter also should include a paragraph on the
strengths the nominee would bring to the leadership of the organization, such as, for
example, past financial experience for the position of treasurer. Current officers seeking
a different office must submit a letter of nomination. The President-Elect must have
served a term as Vice President, Treasurer, or Secretary, or as Chair of the Projects
Committee, the Resource Development Committee, or the Finance Committee. Candidates for
the position of President-Elect should also address their plans to continue and build on
NAWJ's existing programs and implement NAWJ's Long-Range Strategic Plan, which can be
found at NAWJ's website.
Individual nominations and nominations by petition must be submitted to the Nominating
Committee by FRIDAY JULY 12, 2013.
Please address letters to:
National Association of Women Judges
ATTN: Hon. Amy Nechtem
1341 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 4.2
Washington, D.C. 20036
Fax: (202) 393-0125 or E-mail: mkomisar@nawj.org
NOMINATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Judge Amy Nechtem, Massachusetts Juvenile Court, Chair
Justice Carol Beier, Kansas Supreme Court
Judge Bernice Donald, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Judge Carol Feinman, New York City Civil Court, Kings County
Judge Katherine Hansen, 36th District Court, Michigan
Judge Gladys Kessler, United States District Court for the District of Columbia
Judge Brenda Loftin, St. Louis County Circuit Court, Missouri
Judge Irma Lopez-Defillo, Immigration Court (USDOJ), Puerto Rico
Presiding Justice Judith McConnell, Court of Appeal, 4th Appellate District, Division I
Hon. Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice
Judge Norma Shapiro, United States District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
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AWARD NOMINATIONS
NAWJ Awards Committee Seeks Nominations
for Annual Hon. Joan Dempsey Klein Honoree of the Year Award
and Florence K. Murray Award
NAWJ Executive Committee and President to Consider Candidates
for Mattie Belle Davis Award and Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award
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The NAWJ Awards Committee requests nominations for the Honorable Joan Dempsey Klein
Honoree of the Year Award and for the Florence K. Murray Award. To assist you in nominating
a deserving candidate, sample forms may be accessed by clicking the links below.
In addition, nominations are also being sought for the Mattie Belle Davis Award, which is
selected by the President in consultation with the NAWJ Executive Committee, and the Justice
Vaino Spencer Leadership Award, which is selected by the President.
Nominations are being accepted now. The deadline for submitting nominations for all awards is
August 15, 2013.
SELECTION GUIDELINES
The Joan Dempsey Klein Honoree of the Year Award
Honoring a judge who brings distinction to her office and to the NAWJ as exemplified by our
founding mother, Justice Joan Dempsey Klein. Click
here for guidelines for the KLEIN Award.
The Florence K. Murray Award
Presented annually to a nominee who is not a judge, who has, by example or otherwise,
influenced women to pursue legal careers, opened doors for women attorneys, or advanced
opportunities for women within the legal profession. Click
here for guidelines for the MURRAY Award.
The Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award
For outstanding leadership in promoting the vision, core values and mission of NAWJ.
The Mattie Belle Davis Award
This award is selected by the President in consultation with Executive Committee.
- The awardee should be a member who has gone above and beyond his or her role as
member and volunteer to help make a difference in the organization and furthered its
mission, as the Honorable Mattie Belle Davis did.
- The awardee should not be or have been a member of the Executive Committee of the
NAWJ.
- The awardee should be an individual dedicated to furthering and supporting women
in the legal profession.
Awards will be given out during the 35th Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Please submit completed nominations no later than August 15th to
mkomisar@nawj.org by mail or fax to:
National Association of Women Judges
Attn: Hon. Barbara Madsen
1341 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036-1834
Fax: 202-393-0125
AWARDS COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Chief Justice Barbara Madsen, Washington Supreme Court, Chair
Judge Claudia Barber, District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings
Presiding Judge Diana Becton, Contra Costa County Superior Court, California
Hon. Diana Eagon, Hennepin County District Court, Minnesota (Retired)
Justice Sheri Roman, New York State Appellate Division, 2nd Department
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October 9-13, 2013
The Ritz-Carlton
New Orleans, Louisiana
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Register Now!
Register online
here, or download and fax
this registration form.
Conference registration fees:
First Time NAWJ Member Attendee Rate: $525
NAWJ Member Attendee Rate: $595
Non-NAWJ Member Attendee Rate: $625
Guest Rate: $575 (Does not include education sessions)
The conference will be held at The Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans.
Click
here to reach the hotel's
online reservation system.
Room Reservations: (504) 524-1331 or (800)-542-8680
NAWJ Rate: $245/night, plus applicable taxes, single or double occupancy
Click here
to view the conference agenda.
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Pin/Pendant Designed Especially for the New Orleans Conference for Sale
by Dominique Giordano Jewelry
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NAWJ Pin/Pendant
$150
This new pin/pendant has been co-designed by New Orleans Annual Conference Co-Chair Judge
Mary Hotard Becnel and jewelry designer Dominique Giordano. It is made of sterling silver with
fresh water pearls. It also comes in a gold version for women lawyers.
The jewelry designer is graciously donating 10% of sales back to NAWJ.
If you have questions or want to order email contact@dgiordano.com,
download order form
here or visit www.dgiordano.com.
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GIVE THE GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP
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The "Give the Gift of Membership" Campaign is underway again. Please note that you can
give a membership to a first-time member at the reduced rate of $125. Click
here to download the gift form. Also, you may click
here to give the gift of membership online.
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Join the National Association of Women Lawyers for our 2013 Annual Meeting
& Awards Luncheon
NAWJ Member Professor Judith Resnik to be Honored
with the Arabella Babb Mansfield Award
JULY 25, 2013
The Waldorf Astoria New York Hotel
301 Park Avenue
New York, New York
National Association of Women Judges Joins as a Co-Sponsor!
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Join over 800 leading women lawyers from across the country at the National Association of Women Lawyers'
2013 Annual Meeting & Awards Luncheon held on July 25, 2013 at the historic Waldorf Astoria New York
Hotel in New York, New York. NAWL will honor those who have made significant contributions to diversifying
the legal profession as well as its members, who have devoted their time and efforts to NAWL. In addition,
you will have the opportunity to participate in interesting and timely CLE programs along with networking
events, including NAWL's Networking Night of Giving benefitting inMotion.
Click here
for comprehensive Annual Meeting information.
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Join the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession for Its 23rd Annual
Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon
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Sunday, August 11, 2013
12:00 noon-2:00 p.m.
San Francisco, California
(During the ABA Annual Meeting)
Honoring
Honorable Mazie K. Hirono, Senator, U.S. Congress, Honolulu, HI
Sara Holtz, Founder & CEO, ClientFocus, San Francisco, CA
Honorable Gladys Kessler, Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
Marygold Shire Melli, Voss-Bascom Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, WI
Therese M. Stewart, Chief Deputy City Attorney, City and County of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Two tables have been reserved at the Margaret Brent Award Luncheon for NAWJ FRIENDS of JUDGE GLADYS KESSLER.
If you have a ticket for the luncheon and would like to sit with other NAWJ Members, look for the tables labeled
"Gladys Kessler." First come, first served.
Individual tickets and tables may be ordered from the ABA by downloading the invitation
here, or contacting Beverly Tate at 312-988-5668 or email
Beverly.Tate@americanbar.org.
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Pre 2014 IAWJ Conference Tour Offerings-Private Tours
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ARUSHA, NGORONGORO CRATER, SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
NAWJ Past President and active member Hon. Carolyn Temin has collaborated with
Premier Tours to create an exciting tour for IAWJ conference attendees. It will
require 10 participants in order to keep the price as quoted. It will begin and
end at a hotel in Arusha where you can stay for the entire conference; participants
will be able to store their luggage at the hotel and not take it on the safari.
Land arrangements (including flights in Tanzania): $3755.00 per person sharing,
approximate. This price is based on ten people traveling together. Should the number
of participants decrease, Premier Tours reserves the right to adjust prices accordingly.
Click
here to read the complete announcement. If you have any questions please call Judge
Temin at (267) 577-3401 or email here at cetemin@netzero.com.
SOUTH AFRICA
A South Africa trip designed for women judges on their way to Tanzania for the 2014
IAWJ Biennial Conference in Arusha is being planned by Judge Bev Cutler (U.S.) through
Stanford University Educational Travel. If at least 10 travelers sign up, the trip will
be a go. Dates are approximately April 26 - May 5. The tour guide will focus on persons
and places of interest to women judges. It will include a three-day safari. A mix of
international judges going on this trip is welcome. The guide will primarily make use of
the English language. Click
here to read the package of information. Contact Judge Cutler at
bevcut@gmail.com for more information.
Please note that these will be private, non-NAWJ trips.
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NAWJ Rural Courts Committee Announces New Leadership
Iowa Judges Judge Rose Anne Mefford (Chair)
and Annette J. Scieszinski (Vice-Chair)
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NAWJ President Joan Churchill announces the appointment of Iowa District Associate Judge
Rose Anne Mefford, Eighth Judicial District, as chair of NAWJ's Rural Courts Committee.
Iowa District Court Judge Annette J. Scieszinski will serve as Vice-Chair.
The mission of NAWJ's Rural Courts Committee is to ensure that judges who sit in rural
areas at all levels of the judiciary are fully included and reflected in all aspects of
NAWJ membership, leadership, networking and other activities; that the unique needs and
interests of rural judges and their courts are reflected in NAWJ's educational programming,
regional conferences and other initiatives; and that proposed legislation and other issues
having an impact on rural judges and courts are fully addressed, and appropriate action
taken, by the Board of Directors.
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Judicial Exchange Subcommittee Seeks Volunteers
for Visiting International Judges
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NAWJ judicial members and the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ)
have expressed interest in visiting each other's courts. The Hon. Sue Pai Yang,
NAWJ Subcommittee Chair for Judicial Exchanges under NAWJ's International
Outreach Committee, and members of this subcommittee, which include Hon. Marguerite Downing,
Hon. Teresa Guerrero-Daley, Hon. Caryn Hines, Hon. Michelle Hollar-Gregory and
Ms. Claire Smearman, are developing a world-wide network of judges willing to
co-ordinate visits to courts within their countries. Judges from China, Taiwan,
California, Nevada, New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. have signed on.
All NAWJ members visiting other countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and
South America are encouraged to personally follow up with international judges
they meet in their travels to help develop a network of coordinators. Staff
persons working in U.S. Embassies abroad are willing to coordinate court visits
in the countries where they are located.
The Subcommittee seeks volunteers to be U.S. and international coordinators to
facilitate NAWJ or IAWJ judges' wishes to visit a court in a particular region,
district or country. We would like to announce identifiable contacts for persons
wishing to visit.
NAWJ District Directors are also helping to identify judges to be city, state or
regional coordinators in the United States' informal networks. Past activities
have led to establishing lectures for the visiting judge, coordinating an extended
visit for an international judge to U.S. courts, and hosting judges in their homes.
These are not requirements of a coordinator but merely show where interactions have
led by mutual consent. We are not limiting international judge coordinators to be
members of IAWJ but hope this involvement will encourage them to join IAWJ.
Contact Subcommittee Chair Hon, Sue Pai Yang at
cs.sueyang@me.com for more information.
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National Center for State Courts
2013 Court Technology Conference
Baltimore, Maryland
September 17-19, 2013
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The National Center for State Courts is pleased to extend a special discount rate to
members of the National Association of Women Judges to attend the 2013 Court Technology
Conference (CTC) in Baltimore, Maryland, September 17-19, 2013. Members who register
prior to August 31, 2013 are eligible for a reduced conference registration fee of $650.
That is $100 off the regular rate, and $250 less than the on-site rate.
NAWJ members who wish to take advantage of this reduced rate must contact NCSC's
Conference Services Department in order to have their membership status verified.
Once their eligibility is verified, members will be able to register online, via fax,
or via US Mail. The Conference Services Department can be reached by email at
conferences@ncsc.org or via telephone at 1-888-609-4023.
Click here to reach the conference website.
Click
here to read NCSC's letter to NAWJ.
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Click Your Heels- A Virtual March for Gender Equity
through the ABA's Day of the Woman on August 10, 2013
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Chisa Putnam, longtime NAWJ member and Color of Justice Program presenter, is a
member of the ABA Gender Equity Taskforce. The taskforce is advancing the following message:
The ABA Gender Equity Task Force needs NAWJ's participation and promotion of
our virtual march for gender equity.
Click on the
link to the website. Click the vote button next to the red shoes and
click the submit button. Then you have "Clicked" your heels for gender equity.
The march started on Equal Pay Day on April 9th and will continue to run through
the ABA's Day of the Woman on August 10th 2013.
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Events
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2013
NAWJ Districts 3, 4 and its Maryland Chapter will join for a Beach Brunch on Sunday
July 14, 2013 in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. NAWJ President Hon. Joan V. Churchill
will host the event at her home. Honored guests include: Delaware Chief Justice
Myron Steele, President of the Conference of Chief Justices, and Maryland Chief
Judge Robert Bell, who will be honored on his retirement. Also invited are District
of Columbia Chief Judge Eric Washington and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.
All are welcome. Registration is $35 per person. Download the form
here. Contact District 3 Director Judge Sheila Woods-Skipper at
Sheila.Woods-Skipper@courts.phila.gov
for more information.
NAWJ 35th Annual Conference will take place October 9-13, 2013 at
The Ritz Carlton
in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2014
The 2014 International Association of
Women Judges Bi-Annual Conference will take place May 5-9, 2014 in Arusha, Tanzania.
Click here for more conference details.
NAWJ 36th Annual Conference will take place October 15-19, 2014 at
Westin Gaslamp Quarter
in San Diego, California.
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