FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 20, 2009          

Judith Berrett
Director of Member and Community Relations
206-727-8212; judithb@wsba.org

New WSBA Civil Rights Law Section Honors the Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

(SEATTLE) — The Washington State Bar Association is pleased to announce that at its December 2008 meeting, it approved the formation of a new section – the Civil Rights Law Section. An interim Executive Council, chaired by Tracy Flood, of Port Orchard, will lead the new Section until the first slate of new officers is elected.

As the Civil Rights Law Section honors the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it remembers his work as a civil rights advocate and nonviolent activist, including his famous “I have a dream...” speech, in which he articulated his dream of a society where equality, liberty, peace, and opportunity would flourish, a dream of the “the beloved community.” In 1964, Dr. King had the honor of being the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He worked tirelessly to achieve civil rights until his assassination in 1968.

As the Civil Rights Law Section celebrates its new beginning, it also celebrates a seemingly nearly impossible part of the dream – that a person’s race would be no barrier to even the highest office in the country. That was achieved in the 2008 presidential election: an African American has been elected President of the United States. All lawyers can be proud that equality under the law, one of the most basic principles of our legal system, has been realized at such a high level.

The Section is inspired by the ideals of Dr. King. The mission of the Civil Rights Law Section is to educate and advocate for civil liberties and equal rights in the context of the legal issues of Washington state residents. The Section will focus on issues involving the civil rights of racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, minorities, immigrants, those who are mentally or physically disabled, the impoverished or homeless; and freedom of speech, freedom from state promulgated religion, and privacy rights. Lawyers who practice in any of these areas of law or are interested in these topics are encouraged to join the new Section.

Becoming a member of the new Civil Rights Law Section is an excellent way to enhance a practice in any area of law that involves civil rights issues. WSBA sections foster collegiality by providing a forum for members to pursue their interest in a particular area of the law and improve their practice by sharing expertise. The Section membership is open to any member of the Bar, including specially admitted members such as emeritus, military, or foreign house counsel. Law students may be nonvoting members. The Civil Rights Law Section will organize continuing legal education seminars for lawyers, which will also be open to interested non-lawyers. The Section will also have a page on the WSBA website (www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/civilrightslaw.htm) that will inform section members of issues and events in the area of civil rights law.

The WSBA website provides an online format to sign up, pay dues, and become a new member. Click on “Join a Section” here: www.wsba.org/lawyers/groups/sections.htm.

WSBA Civil Rights Committee – Precursor to the Civil Rights Law Section
At its December 2008 meeting, when the Board of Governors voted to establish the Civil Rights Law Section, the Board voted to discontinue the Civil Rights Committee. The Civil Rights Committee was a standing committee of the Bar Association since the inception of a mandatory Washington bar association in 1933. The purpose of the Committee was to keep the spirit of civil rights alive within the bar and the community.

As the Section moves forward with its mission, it will be inspired by the Committee’s numerous accomplishments. Some recent accomplishments of the Civil Rights Committee include:

• April 2008, Gonzaga University, Spokane: Civil Rights Committee conference/continuing legal education (CLE) seminar: Opportunities, Next Steps, Civil Rights Issues Past, Present, and Future. Topics included a presentation on the history of 1960s voter registration movement, hate-crime prosecution, and an overview of civil rights jurisprudence.

• September 2008, Seattle, CLE seminar: Opportunities, Next Steps, Civil Rights Issues Past, Present, and Future. Topics included police accountability, hate-crime prosecution, federal civil rights violations, civil rights agencies and civil rights jurisprudence.

• April 2007, Seattle, CLE seminar: Jon Heuvel, partner, head of employment, Penningtons Solicitors LLP, London, on the new age-discrimination law in England, and comparisons between the new English law and U.S. law.

• March 2007, Seattle, CLE seminar: WTO protest case, Tyler Weaver, counsel for plaintiffs, and Ted Buck, counsel for City of Seattle. Weaver and Buck discussed the “ban on protest” in Seattle, class certification, probable cause for arrest, and free-speech claims in the WTO protest litigation.

• February 2007, Seattle, CLE seminar: Drew D. Hansen, author of The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Speech that Inspired a Nation, speaking on the legal history of the civil rights movement.

• March 2005, Tacoma, public forum: “USA Patriot Act, the War on Terrorism, and Civil Liberties: Balancing Safety and Freedom in the Post-9/11 World.”

• March 2003: Developed and distributed Civil Rights Resources brochure to inform members of the bar and general public of resources available in the area of civil rights.

As the Civil Rights Committee ends its illustrious history with the Washington State Bar Association, the Section will carry on the ideals of the Committee as an organization of colleagues practicing in diverse areas of law who are all connected in their effort to protect civil rights.

Upcoming Projects and Events
The Section's first event will be a noon hour mini-CLE, February 26, 2009, at the WSBA offices, in honor of Black History Month and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Projected speakers are Drew D. Hansen, author of The Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation, and Robin Lindley, former chair of the WSBA World Peace through Law Section and former staff attorney with the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, charged with investigating the death of Dr. King.

About the Washington State Bar Association
The WSBA is part of the judicial branch, exercising a governmental function authorized by the Washington State Supreme Court to license the state’s 32,700 lawyers. The WSBA both regulates lawyers under the authority of the Court and serves its members as a professional association – all without public funding. As a regulatory agency, the WSBA administers the bar admission process, including the bar exam; provides record-keeping and licensing functions; and administers the lawyer-discipline system. As a professional association, the WSBA provides continuing legal education for attorneys, in addition to numerous other educational and member-service activities.
 
The governance of the WSBA is vested in its Board of Governors. There are three governors from the seventh congressional district; one from each of the other eight districts; and three at-large, one of whom represents the Young Lawyers Division. The president is Mark A. Johnson, of Seattle. The president-elect is Salvador A. Mungia, of Tacoma, and the immediate past-president is Stanley A. Bastian, of Wenatchee. The Board meets regularly (every six weeks) at various locations around the state, and its meetings are open to the public. Much of the work of the Bar is carried out through its numerous standing committees, 27 sections, and a Young Lawyers Division with its many committees.

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