House Resolution 128

PAG LIN

  1  1                HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                  BY  MADDOX AND MILLER
  1  3 A Resolution to honor the National Bar Association for
  1  4    its important contributions to the legal profession
  1  5    and the judicial process.
  1  6    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association was organized
  1  7 on August 1, 1925, in Des Moines, Iowa, to serve as an
  1  8 organization for African=American lawyers; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, the objectives of the National Bar
  1 10 Association are to advance the science of
  1 11 jurisprudence, improve the administration of justice,
  1 12 preserve the independence of the judiciary, uphold the
  1 13 honor and integrity of the legal profession, promote
  1 14 legislation that will improve the economic condition
  1 15 of all American citizens, regardless of race, sex, or
  1 16 creed, and protect the civil and political rights of
  1 17 all United States citizens; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association is the
  1 19 nation's oldest and largest national association
  1 20 representing African=American lawyers and jurists,
  1 21 with 84 affiliate chapters in the United States and
  1 22 with affiliates in several countries, representing a
  1 23 professional network of over 20,000 lawyers, judges,
  1 24 educators, and law students; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association has an
  1 26 illustrative history of filing amicus briefs in
  1 27 support of civil rights, championing the pro bono
  1 28 legal movement, providing legal assistance to needy
  1 29 individuals, and supporting equal opportunity and
  1 30 voting rights; and
  2  1    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association sponsors
  2  2 college scholarships and a legal camp to introduce
  2  3 high school students to the legal profession, and has
  2  4 provided law school officials with an assessment of
  2  5 recruitment, retention, and placement of minority law
  2  6 students; and
  2  7    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association developed a
  2  8 judicial selection process to ensure gains in minority
  2  9 judgeships through the federal Omnibus Judgeship Act,
  2 10 sponsored a summit among minority bar associations
  2 11 nationwide, and has engaged in a host of other
  2 12 activities to support the growth of minorities in the
  2 13 legal and judicial professions; and
  2 14    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association has conducted
  2 15 commercial law seminars to promote minority business
  2 16 ownership, held the first Black=on=Black Crime
  2 17 Conference, and promoted minority business enterprises
  2 18 through technical assistance and education programs;
  2 19 and
  2 20    WHEREAS, the National Bar Association has supported
  2 21 efforts to promote equality and justice around the
  2 22 world, including providing observers to the first all=
  2 23 race democratic election in South Africa, and
  2 24 providing delegations to assist economic and political
  2 25 developments in other African countries; NOW
  2 26 THEREFORE,
  2 27    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
  2 28 That the House of Representatives recognizes the
  2 29 important contributions of the National Bar
  2 30 Association in promoting equality and justice through
  3  1 responsible legal methods, not only in the United
  3  2 States but around the world, and that the organizing
  3  3 event which led to the founding of the National Bar
  3  4 Association represents a historical milestone in the
  3  5 history of Iowa.
  3  6 LSB 6764HH 80
  3  7 kk/cf/24