August 2007

Know Your Orgs

What Is the American Judicature Society?

by Mary Wechsler
 
The Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society (AJS) has been increasingly active in our state on issues concerning the judiciary, such as judicial independence, the method of judicial selection, campaign financing, and voter information.

The mission of the American Judicature Society is to maintain and enhance the independence and effectiveness of the judicial system. AJS dedicates its resources exclusively to addressing problems and concerns of the justice system at all levels. Because AJS recognizes that our system of justice belongs to all Americans, AJS enlists lawyers, judges, and the public in working to ensure a judicial system that warrants the public support necessary for government to function effectively.

The American Judicature Society was founded in 1913. In its first five years, AJS achieved several major plans, including:

• A statewide model Judicature Act, designed to unify fragmented state courts into a single system. Today, most states have unified their courts to some degree.

• A nonpartisan plan for the selection of judges (which later became the Missouri or “merit” plan). Today, 32 states and the District of Columbia use some form of merit plan to select some or all of their judges.

• A model procedure act to streamline court rules. Further efforts on the part of AJS in the 1920s and 1930s led, in part, to the adoption of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure in 1938.

As Roscoe Pound noted in 1940, AJS “has been behind every significant advance over the years, in judicial organization and procedure for a generation.”

The work of the American Judicature Society includes the following:

• Minimizing the role of politics in judicial selection.

• Promoting improvements in the operation of the courts.

• Supporting an independent judiciary while promoting the highest standards of conduct and ethics in the courts.

• Promoting the selection of the most qualified judges.

• Increasing public understanding and appreciation of the justice system.

• Building knowledge through empirical research on justice-system issues.

• Utilizing science in a way that supports fair and equitable justice-system outcomes.

The AJS national office, in Des Moines, Iowa, oversees several important programs, including the following:

• The Center for Judicial Ethics, which acts as a clearinghouse for information about judicial ethics decisions.

• The Center for Judicial Independence, which was created in 1997 in response to an increase in unfair criticism and efforts to remove from the bench judges who have made unpopular decisions.

• The Elmo B. Hunter Center for Judicial Selection, a nationally recognized research center started in 1997, that conducts and disseminates empirical research on a wide range of judicial-selection issues.

• The Institute of Forensic Science and Public Policy, devoted to improving the administration of justice through the application of cross-disciplinary research. The Institute was started in January 2006 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and is currently working on problems in eyewitness identification.

• The National Jury Center website, a resource for potential jurors and court administrators.

The Washington Chapter, founded in 1999, has been chaired by presidents Court of Appeals Judge Bill Baker, Justice Faith Ireland, Mary Wechsler, and former Court of Appeals Judge Charlie Wiggins. The current board members include Justice Bobbe Bridge; Judges Dean Morgan, Sharon Armstrong, Mariane Spearman, John Schultheis, Terry Lukens (retired), and Rob Mitchell; Ruth Walsh; Mary Wechsler; and WSBA liaison Gail Stone.

The Washington AJS Chapter has, in conjunction with its annual meeting, sponsored forums and debates on judicial-independence, criminal-defense, and judicial-selection issues. The Chapter has actively participated in the Judicial Selection Coalition, a group of more than 20 organizations working on judicial-selection issues.

The chapter seeks to expand membership to other interested judges, lawyers, and members of the public. Current dues are $25 per year and members are also required to join the National AJS. Questions can be addressed to any of the current board members. The AJS website is www.ajs.org. 

Mary Wechsler is the immediate past-president of the Washington Chapter of the American Judicature Society and serves on the American Judicature National Board of Directors. She is a partner at Wechsler Becker, LLP, where she handles complex family law cases, and also serves as a mediator and arbitrator. Ms. Wechsler serves as vice-chair of the Board for Court Education and is on the Judicial College Trustees. She is a past president of the King County Bar Association and a former president of the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

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