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- American Bar Association Calls on Board of Immigration Appeals to Discard Procedural Changes Adopted in 2002
ABA President Lamm: Ruling Raises Important Marriage Equality Issues
ABA President Carolyn B. Lamm
The ruling of the Northern District of California certainly points out what a very significant legal issue or series of issues marriage equality raises. We know that marriage equality impacts issues in families’ lives — taxation, succession, custody of children, breakup and others. As the nation’s largest organization of lawyers, we in fact need to consider these issues because it impacts the lives of the public. We will be debating them on Monday and this certainly helps to inform our debate.
With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization 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.
The American Bar Association is holding its Annual Meeting in San Francisco through Aug. 10. The association’s policymaking House of Delegates will meet Aug. 9 – 10 to debate recommendations brought before it, including recommendation 111 relating to marriage equality.
2:27 PM August 6, 2010
I am not currently a member of the ABA. I have a small firm practice in southern Virginia. I was pleased to receive a random letter from the National Lawyers Association uring me to contact the ABA to register “dissent” to recommendation 111. Had I not received the NLA letter I would not have known that the ABA is taking action that I strongly support. If the ABA approves the recommendation, I will certainly consider renewing my membership with the ABA. I believe that the constitution demands that all Americans, regardless of sexual orientation or any other HUMAN characteristic/trait, be treated equally. Thank you for promoting equality in civil rights for all Americans.
9:05 PM August 9, 2010
I find it revealing that ABA claims to represent the U.S. lawyer population, when clearly it doesn’t by numbers–nor by philosophy. ABA’s 1992 pro-abortion stance drove out thousands of lawyers who recognize the dignity of the pre-born–and this new wrong-headed policy again may again drive out members. Logically and factually, ABA doesn’t represent all lawyers in America…and is trying to social engineer the nation in ways that make it morally bankrupt. Shame on ABA leadership; you sully the profession.
3:22 PM August 11, 2010
The ABA needs to stay out of this type of issue. The pro-abortion stance of 1992 drove me out. The same sex “marriage” social engineering will keep me out.