The Gazette 1992

GAZETTE

SEPTEMBER 1992

At the ABA They Sa id. . . "Over the last dozen years, the US Government has too often been on the wrong side of the struggle for equal justice", New York Times

"Justice Deficit" says ABA President-Elect "The Justice system in many parts of the United States is on the verge of collapse due to inadequate and unbalanced f und i ng" said the

President-elect of the American Bar Association, J. Michael McWilliams, at the launch of a report of an ABA Special Committee on Funding the Justice System. The report found that the justice system was starved of resources and continuing neglect posed a very serious threat to democracy in the US. According to the report, half the States in the US were experiencing undue delay in civil cases and in their criminal courts. This has meant, for example, that indigent individuals charged with a crime in Louisiana have waited up to 70 days in jail before arraignment; that the criminal cases backlog in Baltimore increased by more that 900 cases in one year; and, in Detroit, where it used to take a few hours to remove a child from a dangerous home environment, it can now take up to three days. The report also found that half of the States in the US reported actual budget cuts in justice funding during the past year. The ABA President-elect said that delays and lack of resources had very real consequences for the every day lives of Americans. He told the story of Robert from Atlanta who, in a case of mistaken identity, recently spent six months in jail without any form of charges being brought and without seeing a lawyer. He also mentioned the victim of a rape in New Mexico whose accused attacker was released and would not be charged because the District Attorney could not meet trial requirements due to a lack of resources. "These are only a few examples that indicate the personal tragedy created by the lack of funding for the civil and criminal justice system", he said. "Moreover, this lack of funding creates an environment in which the quantity of justice is more important than the I quality of justice."

columnist, Anthony Lewis, addressing the ABA opening assembly.

"The roles of lover and lawyer are potentially conflicting ones, and lawyers should avoid the conflict," American Bar Association Standing

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Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.

J. Michael McWilliams, President-elect, ABA The ABA President-elect said that lawyers must lead the way to increase publice awareness and understanding of this problem. He said, however, that "lawyers alone cannot ensure adequate and balanced funding for the justice system. Bar associations and members of the Bench must reach out and build relationships with other groups to form a 'coalition for justice'." • MacSharry Warns US (Continued from page 256) create a solid foundation in international trade rules, not only in the more traditional field of industrial products, but also in the sensitive area of agriculture, along wtih new areas such as services and intellectual property. "The Community believes that an additional reason for a successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round lies in the need to provide a stable trading environment for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the independent States of the ex- Soviet Union." Mr. MacSharry said that the European Community had made it very clear that it was not and would not become a fortress Europe. "This has been demonstrated by the recent negotiations with our neighbours in Europe. Equally, the Community is commited to further liberalisation of world trade through the successful conclusion of the Uruguay Round. I believe, I hope, that the US is equally commited." •

"It is not enough to promote family values, we must have a Government that values families." Hillary Rodham Clinton, former Chairman of the American Bar Association Commission on Women and wife of Democrat presidential candidate, Bill Clinton, addressing a luncheon at the ABA. "Hey, hey, ABA, vote pro-choice and vote pro gay" demonstrators chanting in a protest outside the San Francisco Hilton, the ABA Meeting Headquarters, on Saturday, 9 August. "Our very notion of democracyand justice are threatenedby a lack of adequate resources to operate the one (justice) system that has protected and extended our rights for more than two centuries". ABA President-elect, J. Michael McWilliams. "The most important response we have to racism is to succeed". George Fraser, publisher and radio host addressing a meeting programme of the Conference of Minority Partners in Majority Law Firms. "You've got to language your thinking in terms of end-user." Michael Kelly, Family Law Attorney, speaking at an ABA seminar on Managing Clients and Cases.

Barbara Cahalane

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