News & Updates

Eleven of 12 court of appeals judges and two of five supreme court justices have recused themselves from hearing an appeal involving a constitutional challenge to the state’s process for selecting appellate judges. John Jay Hooker, who filed and lost a similar suit in the late 1990s, claims that the constitution requires judges to be elected rather than appointed and that elections should be by grand division rather than statewide.

IAALS' new board members bring a wealth of diverse perspectives and expertise, furthering our momentum and dedication to our mission of realizing a modern, equitable, and accessible legal system.

Starting today, IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, in partnership with NEWMEDIA, a Denver-based full-service website design and development agency, has a new online home to showcase its…

In a guest post on Justice at Stake's Gavel Grab, Natalie Knowlton (Manager, Quality Judges Initiative) discusses the release of IAALS' Cornerstones of State Judicial Selection: Laying the Foundation for Quality Court Systems and Judges. Cornerstones…

Sonja Ebron discusses the challenges of a complex civil justice system, unifying varied perspectives, and why access to justice is personal. The wide breadth of IAALS’ partnerships is integral to our work, and we’re excited to showcase our board members’ dedication and expertise.

In response to record-breaking judicial election spending, and an unprecedented series of scandals involving supreme court justices, reform-minded folks in Pennsylvania are making historic strides toward change.

A group of retired supreme court judges took the lead in the campaign opposing Amendment 3, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the governor to name an additional member of the commission that nominates potential judges and increase the number of nominees from three to four.

We at IAALS are deeply saddened by the passing of Daniel L. Ritchie, one of our founders. IAALS is incredibly grateful for the vision and inspiration he brought both to IAALS’ founding and to its future, and we’re committed to championing the values he held dear in our work.

The Utah Supreme Court has approved the development of a new program to help litigants navigate the court system. A Supreme Court Task Force established to examine the issue recommended that Limited Paralegal Practitioners (LPPs) be authorized to assist clients with filling out legal forms and preparing settlements, among other tasks, in certain areas of the law, including family law. 

Ruth Bettelheim, a marriage and family therapist, wrote in the New York Times that children’s voices are being ignored or suppressed in custody discussions and agreements. She argues that a custody arrangement generally governs the schedule of children without change until they turn 18, despite the fact that the needs of children change as they get older.

In 2012, when I first started researching Splitopia, my book on today’s good divorce, I assumed there were dearth of good ideas around for helping families transition out of marriage smoothly. It would be my job, I decided, to develop new thinking for the age-old problem of marriage’s end. Upon further investigation, I discovered that many legal professionals, reformers, and mental health practitioners did have good ideas for helping adults and children navigate this difficult transition, but they weren’t communicating them adequately between disciplines and across states, let alone to divorcing families. I would start a national divorce communication program, perhaps affiliating with a think tank in Washington, D.C.!

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register. The ITC's proposed rules apply to 337 investigations, which involve allegations that a competitor is importing patent-infringing goods. The proposed rules closely follow the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and seek to "make patent-infringement disputes more affordable by placing limitations on electronic discovery."

One of the reasons that the American experiment succeeded was the genius of our Founding Fathers in establishing a three-part system of government with an independent judiciary. Without an independent judiciary, we have just one more political entity, subject to the control of the majority, untethered from the Rule of Law, and susceptible to bullying.

Justice John Pelander has taken the unusual step of forming a campaign committee to support his retention, in the face of opposition from conservative groups based on a recent decision.

IAALS made a clarion call for improvements to our courts some ten years ago, and since then has been instrumental in promoting rules changes, including the amended Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, effective December of last year. Those new rules have set sail with a rousing endorsement from Chief Justice John Roberts who, in his year-end report, described the amendments as “a major stride toward a better federal court system.” He also noted that the new Rules can only achieve the goal of a “just, speedy and inexpensive determination of every action and proceeding” (the promise of Rule 1) if “the entire legal community, including the bench, bar and legal academy, step up to the challenge of making real change.” IAALS continues to pursue that change, promoting the rules through educational programs, pilot projects, and a new culture necessary to make the changes successful.

Proponents of replacing Minnesota’s nonpartisan judicial elections with commission-based gubernatorial appointment, retention elections, and performance evaluation were pleased to see Democrats regain a majority in the legislature for 2013, believing that the reform movement lost momentum when Republicans took over in 2010.

We are reaching out to encourage you—as a supporter of our work—to vote! Recently, the Center for Out-of-Court Divorce, together with IAALS at the University of Denver, was honored to be a nominee for the 2017 American Bar Association Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access.

Governor Chris Christie submitted nominees for two New Jersey supreme court vacancies to the senate. One of the nominees is a sitting superior court judge and, if confirmed, would be the first Asian American justice on the court; the other nominee is the director of the board of public utilities.

This is a survey of deans and associate deans conducted at the 2011 Conference on the Future of the Law School Curriculum by Franklin A. Gevurtz, of the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Click here to read the survey results

Consumer demand and innovations in the legal marketplace, especially technological advances, are leading the charge for changes in the legal profession. Many legal educators, lawyers, court administrators, and judges are embracing the evolution, but others are still reluctant to disrupt the status quo.