ABA supports use of ‘Kessler doctrine’ to discourage patent trolls

In 1907, the U.S. Supreme Court held in Kessler v. Eldred that after Eldred unsuccessfully sued Kessler for infringing his patent for an electrical cigar lighter, he couldn’t sue Kessler’s customers or Kessler, who intervened on their behalf, for infringing his patent on the same product.

Aug 8, 2022 6:42 PM CDT

Cyberstalking needs more attention from law enforcement and legislators, says ABA House

The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution Monday urging legislators and law enforcement to do more to fight cyberstalking and harassment.

Aug 8, 2022 6:19 PM CDT

Old friends and new celebrate at the first in-person ABA Annual Meeting since COVID-19 (photo gallery)

After being presented in an all-virtual format in 2020 and a hybrid format in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, attendees are celebrating in person for the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting.

Aug 8, 2022 3:31 PM CDT

Always focus on hope, ABA president tells House of Delegates

Reginald Turner, president of the American Bar Association, is not giving up hope, he told its House of Delegates Monday at the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Aug 8, 2022 12:38 PM CDT

Legal Ed pulls back HOD diversity resolution, saying more discussion is needed

A resolution involving changes to law school standards focused on diversity and academic freedom has been withdrawn by the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Aug 8, 2022 11:49 AM CDT

Disinformation and the safety of election officials must be addressed, ABA House says

The House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a measure combating election misinformation and disinformation and protecting the personal security of election administrators and voters at the ABA Annual Meeting on Monday.

Aug 8, 2022 11:46 AM CDT

Lawyers ‘have to stand up and say something,’ Breyer tells ABA assembly

“The rule of law will not save the world from the evil portions of human nature, but it can help,” says former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer about his new position as chair of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative Board.

Aug 6, 2022 8:30 PM CDT

ProBAR lawyer recalls immigration tent hearings in Texas

“Today, I have to make an impact in front of the judge,” the Venezuelan asylum-seeker told me at the tent court in Brownsville, Texas. This was just a few minutes before his hearing in front of the immigration judge who would be appearing remotely on a monitor inside the tent court.

Aug 3, 2022 12:01 PM CDT

2022 ABA Annual Meeting attendees are coming back to Chicago

For the first time in more than two years, the ABA is bringing lawyers and other legal professionals together for an entirely in-person annual meeting.

Aug 3, 2022 8:42 AM CDT

ABA honors 5 female trailblazers with Margaret Brent awards

The Margaret Brent awards ceremony begins at 3 p.m. Sunday as part of the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. The event was last in-person during the 2019 ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco; the ceremonies were virtual in 2020 and 2021.

Aug 2, 2022 8:40 AM CDT

ABA amicus brief asks Supreme Court to uphold use of race-conscious admissions policies

The U.S. Supreme Court should uphold Grutter v. Bollinger, its decision from 2003 that allowed colleges and universities to use race as one factor in admissions decisions, the ABA said in an amicus brief filed Monday.

Aug 1, 2022 2:16 PM CDT

Attorneys advocate for cancer patients and their caregivers through longtime ABA project

“When you take on something like a law degree or a medical degree, there is an obligation to help someone other than yourself,” says Eunice Aikins-Afful, a clinical research project manager at BeiGene, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “We’re blessed to be able to do what we do, and then turn it around to someone who can’t do it for themselves. And it doesn’t have to be altruistic and fancy. It can simply just be answering a question.”

Aug 1, 2022 11:57 AM CDT

ABA urges Supreme Court to hear case of inmate convicted based on faulty DNA evidence

The ABA is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case of a Texas death row inmate who was convicted based on DNA evidence deemed to be “false, misleading and unreliable” by a state habeas court.

Aug 1, 2022 8:38 AM CDT

A Fresh Approach: ABA steps up efforts to advance environmental justice

As Howard Kenison prepared to chair the ABA Section of Environment, Energy and Resources in August 2020, he put environmental justice at the top of his list of initiatives. In particular, Kenison planned to create a task force to review and possibly revise a 1993 resolution related to environmental justice.

Aug 1, 2022 12:20 AM CDT

ABA Treasurer’s Report for Fiscal Year 2021

Aug 1, 2022 12:17 AM CDT