President's Report - April 16, 2009

January 28 - GSBA co-sponsored with the Middlesex County Bar Association and other specialty bars a program celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the NAACP. Nearly 200 people attended the program. Governor Corzine was on hand to present the NAACP with a proclamation honoring their 100th Anniversary. Additional proclamations were presented by Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells and others. There was a pre-dinner seminar on the NAACP's impact on the law in the areas of education, employment, voting rights and the justice system. Federal District Court Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr., was the moderator and the panelists included Federal Magistrate Judge Michael A. Shipp, Paulette Brown, Esq., former NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Theodore Shaw, and Rutgers Law School Professor Frank Askin. Noted criminal defense attorney and New Jersey Network legal commentator Raymond M. Brown, Jr., Esq., was the dinner speaker.

January 29 B With Board approval, GSBA signed on to a letter to Senators Pelosi and Rothman urging opposition to the inclusion of any provisions that mandate the use of the E-Verify electronic worker verification system as a condition for receiving funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This requirement would arguably dilute the effectiveness of the economic stimulus package by imposing new and costly requirements on thousands of businesses and organizations which would undoubtedly harm millions of workers in these difficult economic times.

February 9 - GSBA President submitted a Court Night 2009 Program Plan to the New Jersey State Bar Association requesting $1,500 in funding to conduct a Law Day program for secondary school students. The program will consist of GSBA attorneys visiting area schools to speak to students about the legal system, culminating in a student debate/oral argument on a pre-selected topic at the Essex County Court House. On February 9, NJSBA notified GSBA that its request was approved for $1,000 in funding.

February 13-15 - With Board approval, GSBA provided financial support to the ABLS Rutgers-Newark Mock Trial Team in the amount of $250 to compete in the Northeast Region's Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition is sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA). Although the team did not advance to the national competition, the Rutgers-Newark team received numerous accolades for its advocacy.

February 19 - GSBA President presented a plaque to the Honorable Betty J. Lester, J.S.C., on behalf of the Garden State Bar Association on her retirement from the bench. The plaque expressed gratitude to Judge Lester from GSBA for her outstanding contributions to Essex County and New Jersey jurisprudence as well as her support and stewardship of African-American attorneys over the years. The retirement celebration was held on February 19, 2009 at the Newark Club in Newark. Many GSBA members were in attendance.

February 23 - With Board approval, GSBA issued a press release condemning the racist New York Post cartoon and calling for a boycott of the New York Post and its advertisers until a proper apology was issued and the responsible parties were held accountable for their actions. The press release, which was authored by then GSBA Vice President, Tiffany Williams, condemned the cartoon depicting a dead chimpanzee and drawing an analogy to the author of the stimulus bill, President Barack Obama. The press release described the conduct of the New York Post as "a cruel mockery of America's struggles with race and a stark reminder of the disparate treatment of Black Americans in the recent past." According to the press release, "the failure of the New York Post to recognize the offensiveness of this cartoon is unconscionable and damaging for people of all races. This cartoon not only evokes a history of racist symbolism, but it promotes hatred and ignorance which threaten to dampen the racial progress and unity which has taken shape across this country with the recent election of President Obama."

February 25 - GSBA co-sponsored with the Minorities in the Profession Section (MIPS) of the NJSBA a Black History Month Program featuring artist, Cassandra Jennings Hall, keynote speaker, Shavar Jeffries, Esq., Counsel to the Attorney General, and award presentations to three high school essay contest winners. For the contest, high school students debated the merits of a dress code that would outlaw saggy pants, hoodies and bandannas, clothes believed to be affiliated with gang membership.

February 26 - With Board approval, GSBA supported Seton Hall Law School's Black Law Students Association's (SHU-BLSA) Annual Homecoming Cocktail Reception held on February 26 at the Newark Club. The Honorable Marie White Bell, retired Judge of the Superior Court and Seton Hall University Law Class of 1973, received the Distinguished Alumni Award. The theme of this year's event was "On Many Strong Shoulders We Stand - To Whom Much is Given Much is Required." In commemoration of the event, GSBA placed a full page ad in the 2009 Homecoming Journal which contained a profile of Judge Bell as well as this year's BLSA E-Board and highlighted the accomplishments of the chapter and its members.

March 4 - GSBA President and Chair of the GSBA Legislative Committee, Hester Agudosi, represented GSBA at the NJSBA's Advocacy Town Hall Meeting held on March 4 at the War Memorial in Trenton. The event provided an opportunity for bar association representatives to meet with Trenton insiders to develop new and creative ways for association representatives to advocate on behalf of their membership, the legal profession and the public. Notable participants included the Governor's Chief Counsel, Senators and Assemblypersons as well as key staffers to the Assembly and Senate Republican Office, the Senate and Assembly Majority Democratic Office, and the Office of Legislative Services Lead Counsel and Aides to the Assembly and Senate. Staffers offered tips and advice about tracking pending bills and explained the winding path legislation takes before becoming law. The oft-repeated mantra expressed by these participants was that developing personal connections and keeping lines of communication open with staffers, legislators and other key Trenton insiders is crucial to getting things done in the State's capitol.

March 19 - GSBA Secretary attended the Anne E. Thompson American Inn of Court Inaugural Ceremony held at the Law Center in New Brunswick. The Honorable Glenn Grant, Acting Administrative Director of the Courts, was the keynote speaker. The Anne E. Thompson American Inn of Court will allow new lawyers and law students to meet, socialize and participate in legal programs with skilled and experienced lawyers and Judges from across the State. The object of the Inn is to improve the legal profession by promoting the goals of legal excellence, civility, professionalism and ethics.

March 24 - With Board approval, GSBA supported the candidacy of GSBA member, Stacey Meisel, Esq., for United States Trustee for Region 3. Letters of support were sent to US Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez as well as United States Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. The United States Trustee for Region 3 is responsible for the oversight of bankruptcy cases filed in the Districts of Delaware, New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania. The US Deputy Attorney General appoints US Trustees to five year terms.

April 2 - GSBA President attended the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association's 2009 Platinum Gala at the Palace in Somerset. Among the honorees was GSBA member Paula Dow who received the Public Sector Award for her exceptional achievements, her development of the legal profession, and her sustained contributions to gender equity challenges and other issues faced by women in the legal profession.

April 2 - GSBA Treasurer represented the President at the Burlington County Bar Association's 2nd Annual Diversity Reception and Dinner held at Café Madison in Riverside. The event was created to foster better relationships between the Burlington County Bar Association and Specialty Bar Associations throughout the State. Each bar president or designee was given an opportunity to address the attendees about their respective organizations. The Honorable Charles W. Dortch, Jr., J.S.C., was the keynote speaker.

April 3 - With the approval of the Executive Committee, GSBA agreed to partner with NOBLE and the Workforce Investment Board of Passaic County by providing linkages to law and public safety careers for high school students under the auspices of a grant provided by the Department of Education that targets Paterson High School students who attend career academies. Under the grant program, GSBA and NOBLE members will mentor and conduct presentations for the students.

April 3 - In conjunction with ABWL, GSBA awarded a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card to Danielle McCall, local winner of the National Bar Association's 2009 Martin Luther King, Jr., Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition. Addressing a pre-selected topic on discrimination in the workplace, Danielle received a perfect score on her essay submission and her oral presentation. The competition is a national program designed by the NBA to motivate high school students to excel in education. Since the inception of the program in 2000, the NBA has awarded $188,000 in scholarships to 32 students. As affiliates of NBA, GSBA and ABWL conducted a local competition to select a winner to represent New Jersey in the regional competition to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 2, 2009. The regional winner will advance to the national competition held on August 6, 2009, in San Diego, California, during the NBA Annual Convention.

April 16 - As of April 16, GSBA President has appointed GSBA members to a total of 12 Supreme Court Committees. The Committees consist of the Criminal and Civil Model Jury Charge Committees, Electronic Filing Committee, Arbitration Advisory Committee, Minority Concerns Committee, Tax Court Committee, Jury Selection in Civil & Criminal Trials Committee, Special Civil Part Committee, Telephonic & Electronic Search Warrants Committee, Discovery in Criminal & Quasi-Criminal Matters Committee, Evidence Committee, and Implementation of the CourtSmart Digital Audio Recording System in the Superior Court Committee. These Committees provide GSBA with an opportunity to have input in critical decisions affecting New Jersey's courts and system of jurisprudence as well as providing GSBA members with access to key members of the bench and the bar.