News & Updates

Inter-branch tensions in Oklahoma have escalated in recent days over the state supreme court's handling of a death penalty appeal. A member of Oklahoma's house of representatives filed articles of impeachment against five supreme court justices who voted to stay the execution of two death row inmates. Tension was already brewing between the legislature and the high court over a 2013 decision that struck down a comprehensive lawsuit reform measure.

Governor Haslam indicated that he would support moving to a federal selection system for the state’s appellate judges, after a senate committee approved such a proposal. Earlier this year Haslam joined with Lieutenant Governor Ramsey and House Speaker Harwell to sponsor a bill that would constitutionalize the current merit selection and retention plan. A third measure calling for contested elections of judges is also under consideration.

IAALS relies on a tremendous group of partners who help guide our work, and we are pleased to announce that Carla van Dongen, Vice President - Counsel for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, will chair our Business Leadership Network as well as serve on our Board of Advisors. 

The Colorado Supreme Court has rejected a proposed initiative intended for the November 2014 ballot that would amend the state constitution to allow voter recall of judges. Two other proposed ballot initiatives aimed at courts and judges are still alive. Eight states currently allow voters to recall judges.

We recently sat down to talk with John Gleason. As Regulation Counsel for the Colorado Supreme Court, he directs the office of the Court responsible for lawyer admissions, registration, regulation, and client protection. In 2010, Gleason was appointed by the Arizona Supreme Court to investigate and prosecute Andrew Thomas, the former Maricopa County Attorney—a prosecution that last week ended in the disbarment of Thomas and one of his lieutenants, and the suspension of another attorney in Thomas’ office.

Since 2018, the Colorado Bar Association Federal Pro Se Clinic has been helping people navigate the overwhelming process of filing and pursuing a lawsuit in federal court without a lawyer. Use of the clinic has increased substantially in the time it has been in operation, and all signs point to increasing demand for pro se assistance. 

IAALS would like to congratulate Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Steve Leben on being named the 2014 recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. The National Center for State Courts Rehnquist award is presented annually to a state court judge who embodies judicial excellence, integrity, fairness, and professional ethics. Judge Leben is a close friend of IAALS, and his impact has been felt across much of our work.

Justice Constandinos “Deno” Himonas was appointed to the Utah Supreme Court in February 2015. Prior to his appointment, he served as a trial court judge for over 10 years.

Despite trepidation from some in the legal community around the idea of nonlawyers providing legal services, newly released data from Utah's sandbox proves those fears unfounded—and that, in fact, the opposite is true. Sandbox providers are bringing a variety of safe legal services to thousands of consumers.

Last week, IAALS met with the other members and staff of the Conference of Chief Justices Civil Justice Improvements committee for its second plenary meeting in Washington D.C. The meeting was followed by the National Center for State Court’s Judicial Excellence Events, and culminated in an award ceremony where Chief Justice John Roberts presented the William Rehnquist Award to Kansas Judge Steve Leben, a close friend of IAALS, at the Supreme Court.

IAALS Executive Director Rebecca Love Kourlis, a graduate of Stanford University and Stanford Law School (BA '73, JD '76), was recently profiled in the Stanford Lawyer. The article takes a look at her career, including her years on the bench and her decision to leave the bench to found IAALS.

Last week, IAALS gathered with our partners and friends for our 14th Annual Rebuilding Justice Award Dinner. We were thrilled to welcome people back in person after three years to celebrate this year’s honorees, as well as recognize our collective efforts to build a more accessible, fair, and efficient civil justice system.

Social and mainstream media is abuzz with coverage of a recent segment on HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, in which Oliver skewers judicial elections. With clips of campaign ads that range from the absurd to the appalling, and extreme examples of the tactics some judicial candidates have used to garner campaign contributions, Oliver shines a hilarious but no less accurate light on the "horrifying spectacle" of judicial elections.

After the governor failed to make a judicial appointment within the 30 day limit, the judicial selection commission made the appointment from its list of well-qualified nominees. The governor had selected the same nominee, but he was two days late in doing so.

Allied legal professional programs have the potential to diversify the legal services market and create more cost-effective legal service models, and they should be created as an important part of a broader legal service ecosystem.

The 2015 Annual Meeting of The Association of American Law School (AALS), entitled Legal Education at the Crossroads, provided much discussion around the critical choices facing law schools. Alli Gerkman, Director of Educating Tomorrow’s Lawyers, was…

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…