PBCBA BAR BULLETINS pbcba_bulletin_feb 2018 | Page 6

ABA ANNUAL M e e t i n g
The ABA annual meeting in New York City
in August served to highlight the great
things the ABA is capable of, the silly
things the ABA sometimes does, and the
turmoil roiling just below the surface of the
organization. Despite its brave public face,
the ABA is still in crises mode.
review and improvement of the process
by which military records are corrected,
discharge status petitions are considered
and the character of one’s discharge is
reviewed; laws prohibiting the use of
solitary confinement of children under the
age of eighteen; the appointment of counsel
to indigent people in removal hearings
before the Executive Office of Immigration
Review.
in the rain”. This time, the Treasurer left
out the whistling and the singing. With no
musical accompaniment, we were informed
that ABA membership has continued to
decline, that revenue has remained down
and that reserves are being tapped to make
ends meet. But there is a plan. Changes are
being made. Everything will be okay.
I heard no figures on how many lawyers
registered for the meeting. But it was
obvious attendance was down once again.
The opening ceremony is a ticketed event
that costs about $150/head. There could not
have been 350 people present.
The ceremony was followed by a reception
at Rockefeller Plaza. The ABA took control
of the sunken area used for ice skating in
the winter and ate, drank and danced to a
live band while a crowd of homeless people
peered down from street level.
The House of Delegates also did some silly
things. As the beginning of the first morning
session the Chair had to ask the delegates
to shut down their wi-fi devices because
the demand was exceeding the band-width
provided by the hotel. Apparently, too many
attendees were watching Netflix and Hulu
on their computers. The House also took the
time to pass a resolution urging government
bodies to pass legislation “that allow the
implementation of trap-neuter-vaccinate-
return programs for community cats Donnie Murrell
within their jurisdictions so as to promote L.D. Murrell, P.A.
their effective, efficient and humane
management.”
As usual, the House of Delegates was
responsible for some of the great things
accomplished at the meeting. The House
passed a variety of important resolutions
which included calling for: the repeal
of existing state and federal statutes
imposing mandatory minimum sentences;
the amendment of Section 287 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act to codify
DHS Guidelines regarding immigration The ABA Treasurer’s Report for the last
enforcement
actions
(to
prevent few years has been, by and large, a mix of
immigration arrests at courthouses); “whistling past the graveyard” and “singing
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN
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