President's Message

I would like to welcome you to the home page of the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Judges, and ask you, so long as you qualify, to consider joining this organization as it enters its 14th year.

While writing this (in the first week of October, 2006), I am sitting in a hotel in New Orleans at yet another conference (my fourth or fifth this year). I have come here for the American Judges Association (AJA) conference, which is being held in the French Quarter just blocks from New Orleans’ gay district. I am here to learn what the AJA needs for its conferences as I am bringing the AJA to Vancouver for its 2007 annual conference.

This 2007 combined judicial conference will be held at the Vancouver Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel, which is a great venue with over 700 rooms, a great convention center and a prime location in the heart of downtown Vancouver, BC. Our plan is to host business meetings for most of the associations in the early part of the week of September 23. We plan to offer a full course-load of judicial continuing education credit courses, which will qualify in all states. We will also be offering a series of exciting local events, many of which will be included in the registration fee. The educational component for the conference will commence on Wednesday, September 26, so plan to arrive early (perhaps the weekend ahead to enjoy some of BC’s hospitality). The social events of the conference will also commence on Wednesday, September 26, with a reception in the evening, and will close with a formal banquet on Saturday, September 29.

Any of our members who are also Provincial Court judges from Canada may register through CAPCJ. Other IALGJ members, including Canadian Superior Court judges, other international judges, and American judges of all levels and courts, may register for this conference through the AJA (membership in the AJA is not required to register with them for this conference).

Last year, I told you that we had a tentative commitment from a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and a Supreme Court of Canada Justice. I can now advise that we have a firm commitment from the Honourable Justice Rosalie Abella of the Supreme Court of Canada, and from the Honorable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg of the U.S. Supreme Court, to speak together in a plenary session.

Further down this page, you will find the minutes of our IALGJ September 2006 Annual Meeting, which was held in Washington, DC, on September 8, 2006. While the minutes may seem to describe your average business meeting, I have to say that they could not hope to give an impression of just how much fun we all had at this year’s meeting. When the IALGJ members get together, a good time is had by all. The repartee around the lunch meeting table was a very impressive start to the day. After our meeting, we had the afternoon off, followed by a formal dinner at the Cosmos Club. By the time dessert was served, a number of members had broken into Broadway musical songs around the dinner table, and it was not long before the rest of us were involved. If you are a member of the IALGJ but have never attended one of our annual meetings, I highly recommend that you plan on doing so. Indeed, Vancouver in 2007 would be a great place to start.

I would like to extend my congratulations to the newly elected executive member, Judge Arlene Bluth, who was elected secretary of the IALGJ for 2006/2007. I would also like to congratulate Judges Joe Biderman (vice president) and Zeke Zeidler (treasurer) who, like me, were re-elected for another term.

Lest any of you think that this organization is not active, I would draw your attention to our decision to make a donation to and assist in the running of a Symposium on Family Law and Lesbian/Gay Marriage to be held at Tulane University on January 27, 2007. I will be personally hosting this symposium. We are also looking for other appropriate judicial projects. So, if you have been a little less involved recently due to a busy court calendar but are looking to get more involved, give us a try. Join the association, come to our next year’s meeting and get yourself involved with your community of lesbian and gay judges. We are judges, and so we are not allowed to be political in so many ways. However, that does not mean we are dull or unable to be involved in things that matter to our community. Being involved in our judges association, the IALGJ, is a respectable and appropriate way to let your old active self out of the closet again since your election or appointment to the bench -- or just a great way to get together with other lesbian and gay judges.

Please clear your calendar and join us for an interesting and exciting conference in Vancouver. You will enjoy days of essential judicial education, the annual meeting, and some time well spent with wonderful friends, all while your spouse/partner/companion is seeing some of British Columbia’s splendours and wonders. Then, in the evenings, enjoy some of Vancouver’s finest refreshments in spectacular venues while meeting and making new friends with judges from all over the U.S. and Canada. Registration forms for the conference will be available soon, but reservations may already be made with the hotel at 604-331-1000 and mentioning that you are part of the Judges Conference to obtain the conference rate.

Judge JG (Gary) Cohen
President, IALGJ

Present: J.Gary Cohen, President (BC); Joseph Biderman, Vice President (CA); Arlene Bluth (NY); Linda Giles (MA); Sidney Galton (OR); Paul Greenberg (DC); Barry Kohn (CA); Mark King Leban (FL); Robert Lee (FL); G.L. (NY); Larnzell Martin (MD); Nina Puglia (IL); George Silver (NY); Michael Sonberg (NY); Theodore Weathers (CA); Brian Wiegant (ONT).

Call to Order: President Cohen called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. The Agenda for the meeting was adopted as proposed.

Minutes: The minutes of the October 27, 2005 Annual Meeting, as prepared by the Secretary and distributed, were approved.

Financial Report: A financial report, prepared by Treasurer D. Zeke Zeidler, was presented and approved.

Membership Report: As of the meeting date, there were 39 paid members. We have 84 e-mail addresses for our mailing list. The report was adopted.

Election of Board of Directors: The following 15 current paid-up members were nominated for election: Joseph Biderman (CA); Arlene Bluth (NY); Mary Celeste (CO); J. Gary Cohen (BC); Paul Feinman (NY); Sidney Galton (OR); Linda Giles (MA); Paul Greenberg (DC); Barry Kohn (CA); Mark King Leban (FL); George Silver (NY); Michael Sonberg (NY); Theodore Weathers (CA); Brian Wiegant (ONT); D. Zeke Zeidler (CA). The directors were declared elected by acclamation.

The Annual Meeting of the IALGJ was recessed at 12:35 p.m. and the Board of Directors convened.

Election of Officers: The following board members were nominated as officers:

• J. Gary Cohen (BC), President
• Joseph Biderman (CA), Vice President
• Arlene Bluth (NY), Secretary
• D. Zeke Zeidler (CA), Treasurer

The officers were unanimously elected by those board members present.

The Annual Meeting of the IALGJ was reconvened at 12:40 p.m.

Accommodation Stipend: US$100.00 stipend checks were distributed to those members attending the 2006 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., who were (1) currently members in good standing, (2) attended the Annual Meeting, and (3) spent the prior night in a hotel. A motion was made and seconded to continue the stipend for the 2007 Annual Meeting, with the proviso that it would include housing and travel-related expenses in excess of US$100; the motion was approved.

Tulane Journal: Valerie Zukin, editor in chief of the Tulane Journal on Law and Sexuality, discussed plans for a symposium to be held on January 27, 2007, at Tulane Law School in New Orleans, entitled "Legal Perspectives on Marriage Equality."

Presentation: President Cohen presented a plaque to Sidney Galton, in appreciation of his two years as IALGJ President.

Annual Dinner: Those present were reminded of the time and location of the Annual Dinner.

Annual Membership Dues: On motion made, seconded and approved, dues for 2007 were set at US$50.

Site of 2007 Annual Meeting: Those present discussed the options of meeting in 2007 in Chicago from September 6 to 8 in connection with NLGLA/Lavender Law, or meeting in Vancouver from September 23 to 29 in connection with the Canadian Provincial Judges Association and American Judges Association at the Wall Center Hotel. The registration fee for the latter conference will be US$450-$500. It was unanimously agreed to hold the 2007 Annual Meeting in Vancouver, the exact date and location to be determined by the Board of Directors.

Committee on Surplus Funds: After discussion, it was moved, seconded and approved that US$3,100 be appropriated as a donation to the Tulane Journal on Law and Sexuality, to defray the costs of expenses for speakers at the symposium on the Legal Perspectives of Marriage Equality, with the proviso that at least one member of IALGJ be included. Judges Lee, Martin and Wiegant volunteered to serve on the committee for 2007.

Old Business: None.

New Business: None.

Adjournment: 2:05 p.m.

The objectives of the Association, adopted at that meeting, are:

• To provide an opportunity for judicial officers to meet and exchange views and to promote education among its members and among the general public on legal and judicial issues related to the gay and lesbian community.
• To increase the visibility of lesbian and gay judicial officers so as to serve as role models for other lesbian and gay people and to bring to the attention of the general public the prominence of these judicial officers.
• To aid in ensuring the equal treatment of all persons who appear in a courtroom, as a litigant, attorney, juror, staff person or in any other capacity. 
• To coordinate the sharing of information between lesbian and gay judicial officers and others in the gay community or the general community. 
• To serve as a resource for other lesbians and gay men who are interested in seeking judicial office.
 

August, 1995 – For any number of years, my old friend and colleague Mary Morgan and I would talk about getting together with other gay men and lesbians who were judicial officers and forming a group so that we could network and provide a basis of support for each other. We knew how important this could be. After all, when I became the first openly gay judge in 1979 and Mary the first openly lesbian judge in 1981, there weren't so many colleagues to share our feelings with. Of course, we realized that there would be many other objectives for such a group. But mainly we thought it would give us a chance to help each other in the somewhat difficult task of being openly gay in the judiciary.

Time went on and both of us were too busy to do much about this idea. Finally, in 1992, I realized that I had only 7 years left before I would retire and so if anything was going to happen, it better happen soon. As a result, I made some phone calls and eventually came up with more names than I thought existed. As it happened, because of a particularly light calendar, I had the time to put together what I think was a great meeting in Washington in 1993. And, voila, we had a group. We are incorporated as a non-profit in California, we have a bank account with money in it, and we have had three subsequent meetings. 

The 1995 meeting in Provincetown was so enjoyable that I think back to when Mary and I would talk about this and I feel that something good and special has occurred. While we haven't yet achieved many of our loftier goals (and I'm sure we will with time), many of us have been able to meet judicial officers whom we never would have known existed, and I know that a number of new friend ships have been cemented. For me, this has been the first and foremost goal of our group. For those of you who have been to any of our three meetings, you have met lesbian and gay judges from across the nation and, like me, you undoubtedly have a feeling of connection with the rest of the country.

Let me thank all of you for your support of this concept. I'd like particularly to thank Michael Sonberg and Paula Hepner from New York, Linda Giles and Dermot Meagher from Massachusetts and Rand Hoch from Florida, for all of the effort they've given. With Linda as our new President and Rand as the new Vice President, I'm sure we're going to see more done in accomplishment toward our other goals. For now, however, I will keep on with my aim of bringing as many of us together as possible to share in the very special feeling of meeting another judicial officer who shares that unique something which is being gay.