07/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/29/2021 12:04
CHICAGO, July 28, 2021 - The American Bar Association House of Delegates convenes Aug. 9-10 to conclude the 2021 ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting with more than 40 items on the agenda, including first-time recommendations on best practices for police body-worn cameras and a proposal that lawyers devote at least 20 hours annually to advance and promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession.
The HOD, as the ABA policy-making body is known, will meet at the end of the first-ever ABA Hybrid Annual Meeting, which begins Aug. 4 and will be both virtual and in-person at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The session of 597 delegates from ABA entities, and state, local and specialty bar associations will start at 8:30 a.m. CDT on both days and likely end midday Tuesday.
With national attention focused on police misconduct in the wake a series of incidents the past several years, including the May 25, 2020, homicide of George Floyd in Minneapolis, several ABA entities are proposing the House adopt ABA Principles on Law Enforcement Body-Worn Camera Policies. The proposal, Resolution 604, seeks appropriate government entities to develop comprehensive policies regarding the use of cameras, as well as the use and storage of their footage.
The principles include training, monitoring and compliance, and privacy. The report, which accompanies the resolution, said body-worn cameras, when used in accordance with comprehensive and transparent policies, encourage appropriate behavior, increase accountability and improve public trust in law enforcement.
Another criminal justice-related proposal, Resolution 510, urges governments to ban the use of no-knock warrants, which generally permit law enforcement officers to enter premises without first identifying their authority and purpose. This type of warrant was used in the police raid in Louisville, Kentucky, that left Breonna Taylor dead in March 2020.
Resolution 102, which is now on the 'consent calendar' and likely to pass without opposition, urges members of the legal profession to devote 20 hours each year to support diversity, equity and inclusion. The report cites the relatively low numbers of minorities in the legal profession and the national movement to address and rectify the impact of inequality in society. It also singles out ABA Model Rule 6.1, which was adopted in 1983 and urges lawyers to provide voluntary pro bono legal services of 50 hours annually, as evidence that these formal policies can make a difference.
Resolution 201 recommends a significant change in how the federal government approaches proceedings under the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946. Under the current system, each agency employs its own corps of administrative adjudicators, which has led to claims that this creates an inherent conflict of interest that undermines public confidence in the impartiality of administrative adjudications. The proposed resolution urges Congress to design a central panel of administrative judges to bolster the independence of agency adjudication.
Other HOD proposals include:
For details on the all policy resolutions and other matters for debate and vote during the two-day session, click here.
Reporters: Register and stay updated before and during the Annual Meeting by visiting both the conference's Reporter Resources pageand the general information website. Also, ABA credential guidelines are here.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews..