2022-23 Bar Year Accomplishments

1. Produced a three-part Privacy in an Age of Zero Trust Webinar Series.

   1. Partnered with the ABA Science and Technology Law Section to host webinars on threats to privacy post-Dobbs v. Jackson, the effects of encryption technology, and how best to proceed approach privacy and security now. 

2. Filed three amicus briefs in the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of the ABA at the Section’s request:

   1. Moore v. Harper, No. 21-1271 (United States Supreme Court) October 26, 2022

   2. 303 Creative LLC, et al., v. Elenis, et al., No. 21-476 (United States Supreme Court) August 19, 2022

   3. Haaland v. Brackeen, Nos. 21-376, 21-377, 21-378, 21-380 (United States Supreme Court) August 18, 2022

3. Hosted the two-day Economic Justice Summit to formulate policy solutions to critical economic disparities in the United States.  

4. Produced the Seventh Annual State of Voting Rights Program, a panel discussion about threats to enfranchisement. 

5. Launched the ABA Court Watching Project with the ABA Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defense, including creating a bank of materials, forms and manuals on how and why to watch courts. 

6. Produced a Public Defender Independence webinar, a program on ensuring high-quality legal representation for all clients. 

7. Established the CRSJ Chair Chat Series and created a platform with 22-23 Section Chair Juan R. Thomas to discuss a different civil rights and social justice issue weekly. 

8. Produced Vol. 48 of Human Rights Magazine, including No. 1 Economics of Voting, No. 2 Wealth Disparities in Civil Rights, No. 3 Economic Issues in Criminal Justice, and No. 4 (End of) Rule of Law.

9. Held a Joint Fall Section Meeting with the ABA Young Lawyers Division and the ABA Section of State & Local Government in Portland, OR. 

   1. The meeting featured multiple CLE programs, including Perfecting Democracy Jeopardy; ABA Opportunities After YLD; Hot Topics from the Supreme Court; How to Become a Judge; and the Impact of Local Protest in Portland. 

10. Produced five Chair Columns from Section Chair Juan R. Thomas.

    1. An Introduction to the Bar Year
    2. January Round-Up
    3. A Statement on the Death of Tyre Nichols
    4. Women’s History Month
    5. June Column
    6. Closing Chair Column
11. Presented our past CRSJ Section Chair Kay Hodge with the 2023 Father Drinan Award. 

12. Produced 20 free webinars this bar year (see all recent programs). 

13. Launched the 21-Day Practice on Combating Antisemitism. 

14. Organized the Perfecting Democracy Initiative to recruit lawyer volunteers to aid nonpartisan efforts to promote fair elections and the right to vote.

15. Formed the ABA Environmental Justice Task Force in collaboration with the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources. 

16. Implemented the Policy Implementation Initiative to support the adoption of civil rights policy at the federal, tribal, territorial, state and local levels.

17. Launched the AI & Economic Justice Project to determine how AI impacts marginalized communities. 

18. Bestowed the 2023 Thurgood Marshall Award on John E. Echohawk during the ABA Annual Meeting, Saturday, August 5, 2023. 

Juan R. Thomas
ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, 2022-23 Chair

Juan R. Thomas is the 2022-23 Chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and Past President of the National Bar Association (NBA). Currently, he is Of Counsel to Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A., and is the founder and principal of The Thomas Law Group.