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94 Judicature 205 (2010-2011)
AJS Membership Has Its Privileges (and Its Responsibilities and Opportunities)

handle is hein.journals/judica94 and id is 203 raw text is: I Presient' Rep0ort AJS membership has its privileges (and its responsibilities and opportunities) William D. Johnston I've been a member of the American Judicature Society for close to 30 years - since 1983. I was fortunate to receive a complimentary mem bership from the judge for whom I was clerking at the time, and I have maintained the membership ever sice. This President's Report has me pausing to reflect on the benefits - and the responsibilities and opportunities - associated with AJS membership. The topic is a vitally iniprtant one, sinc AJS is a broadly- based membership organization of citizens (judges, lawyers, and non- lawy ers) concerned with improving our nation's justice system. Perhaps the most significant benefit of AJS membership is that each of us, as a member, is part of an organiza- tion that focuses on improving the administration of justice for all. As a corollarv, each of us is presented with a responsibily and an opportunity. As observed by AS Board member The Honorable Delissa Rdgwsay of the U.S. Court of International Trade: AJS is not liberal, and it s not conservQatie it's not pro-defense or pro-prosecution or pro-plaintiff! It is committed to fundamental fairness, and to enhancing the administration ofj stice.' AJS Past President Rober Kauhan (a partner with Proskauer ose LLP in New York City) echoes Judge Rd way's scntimert: To m the single most important benefit of membership is being a partici- pant in the work of improving the administration of justice nationally. All the other things - publications and periodicals, etc. - are nice, but the participation in actual improve- ments is great. nd former AJS Board Member and cuirrent Member of the AJS National Advisoiy Council Momi (azimero, a graphic designer (non-lawyer) in Honolulu, Hawaii, comments: The word I have used to describe AJS' mission is 'vigilance.' Especially at a time when we feel besieged - now - it is easiest to bypass and ignore doing the 'right thing' or remaining 'vigilant' because we feel overwhelmed. That is when wse are the most vulnerable. The other benefits of AJS mem- bership are many. The most obvious include receipt of this bi-monthly, peer-reviewed journal, Judicature, published continuously since 1917 All judicial members of AJS also receive the quarterly Judicial (ondu 3porter a one-ofIa-kind resource for the latest on judicial ethics and dis- cipline. And rnany of our members receive the Socicty's electonic news- letter, Judicatories. (If youi are not cur- rently receiving Judicatories, please send a message to membership@ajs. org to begin receiving the newsletter and other e ectronic comiunica- tions.) Side benefits ofAXJS member- ship include the Society' affinity car issuedlby Bankof Amrricaan discounts oi car rentals through Alamo and National Rent-A-Car. AJS' website (www.ajs.org) is chock-full of resources in connec- tion with judicial selection, judicial ethics, the jury system, eyewitness identification research and other criminal justice initiatives and pro se litigation assistance. The website also includes a wealth of educatioial offerings, such as Continuing Legal Education programs through W~est LegalEdcenter and model justice system curricula for high school students. Happily, the benefits ofAJS mem- bership were confirmed by an inde- pendent survey conducted for the Society in January of this year. The suv ey was directed to more than 450 AJS members and non-members in an effort to learn more about how AJS can best serve its members and otherwise fulfill its mission to secure and promote an independent and qualified juidiciary and a fair system of juistice. Respondents ov erwshelm- ingly viewed AJS as a solidly non- partisan, independent organization, continued on page 206 www~as~orgUDICATU RE20

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