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CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS*

1926-1927

CONSTITUTION.

ARTICLE I.

NAME AND OBJECT.

This Association shall be known as "THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION." Its object shall be to advance the science of jurisprudence, promote the administration of justice and uniformity of legislation and of judicial decision throughout the Nation, uphold the honor of the profession of the law, and encourage cordial intercourse among the members of the American Bar.

ARTICLE II.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP.

Any person, on nomination in accordance with the provisions of Article III, shall be eligible to membership in this Association who shall be, and shall have been for three years next preceding nomination, a member in good standing of the Bar of any state.

ARTICLE III.

ELECTION OF MEMBERS.

(a) Nominations for membership shall be made by a majority of the Local Council of the state to the Bar of which the persons nominated belong, and must be transmitted in writing to the Chairman of the General Council, and approved by the Council on vote by ballot, except as provided in sub-division (d) hereof.

(b) The General Council may also nominate members from states having no Local Council, and at the annual meeting of the Association may nominate members from any state of which a majority of the members of the Local Council are not then in attendance; but no such nomination shall be made or con

Adopted September 5, 1919.

sidered by the General Council, unless supported by a statement in writing of at least three members of the Association from the same state with the person nominated, or in the absence of three such members, then by three members from a neighboring state or states, to the effect that the person nominated has the qualifications required by the Constitution and desires to become a member of the Association, and that his admission as a member is recommended by the signers of the statement.

(c) All nominations thus made shall be reported by the Council to the Association for its action. The vote shall be taken viva voce, unless any member demand a vote by ballot upon any name thus reported, in which case the Association shall vote thereon by ballot. Five negative votes shall prevent an election.

(d) During the period between annual meetings, members may be elected by the Executive Committee upon the written nomination of a majority of the Local Council of any state. One negative vote in the Executive Committee shall prevent an election.

(e) Persons of distinction who are members of the Bar of another country but not members of the Bar of any state of the United States, may, without formal nomination or certification, be elected by the Executive Committee to be honorary members of the Association. Honorary members shall be entitled to the privileges of the floor during meetings, but shall not be entitled to vote, and they shall pay no dues.

*(f) Any person eligible for membership in this Association and nominated and elected as above provided, and any member of the Association heretofore elected may become a life member of this Association upon written notice to the Treasurer and payment of the sum of $200 for such life membership. Such payment when made shall be in full of all dues to this Association during the life time of such member. A life member shall have all the privileges of an active member of this Association. All sums paid for life membership in the Association shall be invested by the Treasurer and the income therefrom shall be used for the general purposes of the Association unless otherwise provided by further amendment hereto.

Adopted August 29. 1923.

ARTICLE IV.

OFFICERS, COMMITTEES AND SECTIONS.

The following officers shall be elected at each annual meeting for the year ensuing:

A President;

A Vice-President from each state;

A Secretary;

A Treasurer;

A General Council, consisting of one member from each state.

The same person shall not be elected President in two succes

sive years.

The General Council shall be a Committee on Nominations

for office and shall elect its Chairman annually, but the same person shall not be elected Chairman more than three successive years.

There shall be an Executive Committee, which shall consist of the President, the last retiring President, the Chairman of the General Couneil, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the Editorin-Chief of the AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, all of whom shall be members ex-officio, together with eight other members to be elected by the Association upon nomination by the General Council, but no member shall be elected more than three years in succession. The President, and in his absence the former President, shall be the Chairman of the committee.

The Executive Committee shall have full power and authority, in the interval between meetings of the Association, to do all acts and perform all functions which the Association itself might do or perform, except that it shall have no power to amend the Constitution or By-Laws.

There shall be one or more Assistant Secretaries, who shall be elected by the Executive Committee, and shall hold office at the pleasure of that committee.

The following committees shall be appointed annually by the President, each to consist of five members, and to serve for the year ensuing unless otherwise specifically indicated herein: †

* Includes amendment adopted August 29, 1923. † Includes amendment adopted July 9, 1924.

On Commerce; *

On Commercial Law and Bankruptcy; *

On Air Law; *

On International Law;

On Insurance Law;

On Jurisprudence and Law Reform, to consist of 15 members;

On Professional Ethics and Grievances;

On Admiralty and Maritime Law;

On Publicity;

On Publications, to serve for one, two, three, four and five years respectively, beginning with the members appointed in the year 1924, as determined by lot, and thereafter the term of appointment, except to fill vacancies by death or resignation, shall be for the period of five years.† On Noteworthy Changes in Statute Law;

On Legal Aid Work;

On American Citizenship;

On Membership, to consist of such number as the President

may appoint; and

On Memorials, of which the Secretary shall be the Chairman. The Chairman of each Section of the Association, and the President of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, shall each be deemed a committee of one, and each shall report the work of his Section or Conference and present its recommendations for action by the Association.

A majority of the members of any committee, including the General Council, present at any meeting shall constitute a

quorum.

The Vice-President for each state and four other members from such state to be annually elected, shall constitute a Local Council for such state. The Vice-President shall be ex-officio Chairman thereof. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President from each state to report the deaths of members within the same to the Committee on Memorials.

The members of the General Council and the members of the Local Council in each state shall constitute a committee for their state to further the interests and opinions of The American Bar

* Adopted July 14, 1926.

† Includes amendment adopted July 9, 1924.

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