The 2008 ISBA Diversity SurveyBy Albert J. KlumppJune 2009Last spring more than 2,500 ISBA members participated in a survey conducted by the ISBA’s Task Force on Diversity.
California Proposition 8 updateBy Sepi GhafouriJune 2009Last summer, the Supreme Court of California became the second state high court in the United States to end years of marriage inequality.
Checks and balances at work: The ADA Amendments Act of 2008By William D. GorenJune 2009The Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 overrule several United States Supreme Court decisions that had narrowed considerably the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Chicago Urban League, et al. v. State of Illinois, et al.: Summary of Cook County Circuit Court’s April 15, 2009 opinionBy Lisa T. Scruggs, Sandi J. Toll, & Shyni VargheseJune 2009In a decision issued by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Martin S. Agran, the Court announced that Plaintiffs in the Chicago Urban League et al. v. State of Illinois and Illinois State Board of Education case have stated a valid claim of discriminatory disparate impact under the Illinois Civil Rights Act of 2003.
The Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms: From dream to realityBy Pamela M. BelynJune 2009In the summer of 2008, a group of more than 30 women’s initiatives in Chicago law firms came together to form the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms—the first organization of its kind in the United States. The Coalition’s mission is to benefit member firms by providing positive avenues of communication, collaboration and guidance that help member groups to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of women lawyers and support the building, implementation and continued relevancy of women’s initiatives in law firms.
Diversity Task Force—Report from the ChairBy Alice M. Noble-AllgireJune 2009As I write this column, Lynn Grayson and I are putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive report to the Board of Governors detailing the activities of the Task Force on Diversity during the past two years and offering a plan of action to chart the course for the ISBA’s diversity efforts into the future.
A new path to equality: The Challenge to Section 3 of DOMA in Gill, et al. v. OPM, et al.By Paul M. Smith, Daniel I. Weiner, & Lindsey C. HarrisonJune 2009On March 3, 2009, the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) commenced a challenge to Section 3 of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), 1 U.S.C. § 7, in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Reflections on World AIDS DayBy Yolaine DauphinJune 2009According to The Skeptic’s Guide to the Global AIDS Crisis, a book authored by Dale Hanson Bourke, approximately 8,500 people die of AIDS every day.
A response to Attorney General Eric Holder’s remarksBy Andrea FlynnJune 2009As lawyers, we are trained to tackle intellectual problems daily; however, a lack of diversity and troubled race relations cannot be easily analyzed and solved like a legal issue.
