"Fair and Impartial Judges: Guardians of the Rule of Law."
Welcome to the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association. While our tag line aspirationally declares that we are the “Voice of the Judiciary,” our status as the “Judicial Voice of the American Bar Association” makes us the most influential organization of judges in the world.

With over 4,000 members, we work to support an open, fair, and impartial judiciary through our programs, publications and initiatives. This year, we are partnered with ABA President William Neukom’s Rule of Law Initiative and the World Justice Project under the JD theme: “Fair and Impartial Judges: Guardians of the Rule of Law.” After all, a strong and independent judiciary is an integral part of promoting the rule of law, domestically and internationally.

President Neukom recognized the critical role of judges in the WJP by appointing two of our members to the WJP Commission – 9th Circuit U.S. Court Judge Margaret McKeown and Oregon Court of Appeal Judge Ellen Rosenblum; and three members to the WJP Advisory Commission – former JD Chair Leslie Miller; JD Program Chair, Justice Mark Martin and myself. With this leadership, we seek to ensure the presence of our members at each of the four international conferences as well as the domestic Rule of Law Conferences in each state.

We also seek to maximize the participation of our members on the various JD committees and as liaisons to other ABA entities. If members want to serve and offer their talents for the betterment of the JD, then we want to make sure we provide opportunities not only in the JD but in the other ABA entities that address judicial issues, such as the Standing Committee on Judicial Independence, Federal Judicial Improvements Committee, Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and others.

The opportunity to become involved has never been better for our members. Be it with our highly successful Judicial Clerkship Program or through any of our many committee and liaison positions, we want your input. We are proud to serve you towards the aims of providing quality educational programs for judicial improvement and carrying out our initiatives to promote the public’s confidence and trust in the judiciary.

Honorable James A. Wynn, Jr., Chair
Judge Wynn's Welcome Video