Association in such manner and in such ways as shall be suggested by the Executive Committee. There shall be the following Sections of the Association: Section of Patent, Trade-Mark and Copyright Law; Comparative Law Bureau; Section of Public Utility Law; Section of Criminal Law and Criminology; Section of Mineral Law; Conference of Bar Association Delegates; and such other Sections as may from time to time be authorized by the Association upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee thereof. Each Section shall have a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and a Council which shall consist of eight members elected by the Section. Each Section shall have power to adopt By-Laws for the regulation of its functions, not inconsistent with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Association, and subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Association. The Council of each Section shall be known and designated as "The Council of the American Bar Association" on the particular subject which characterizes the work of the Section, as, for example, the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar shall be known as The Council of the American Bar Association on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar." Qualifications for membership in any Section may be determined by the Section itself and shall be defined in its own By-Laws, provided that action taken by a Section must be approved by the Association before the same shall become effective. ARTICLE V. By-laws may be adopted, amended, or rescinded at any meeting of the Association by a vote of three-fourths of the members present at any session of such annual meeting, provided there be not less than two hundred members present at such annual meeting, and provided further that notice shall have been given by the Secretary to the members of the Association either by mail or by publication in the JOURNAL at least thirty days before the meeting at which action is taken. ARTICLE VI. DUES. Each member shall pay $6.00 to the Treasurer annually, which sum shall include dues and the cost of subscription to THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, which to members is $1.50 per year. The Annual Reports of the Association shall be free of charge to members. All other publications of the Association shall be issued upon such terms and conditions as the Committee on Publications, subject to control of the Executive Committee, shall provide. No person shall be in good standing or qualified to exercise any privilege of membership who is in default. The Executive Committee, in its discretion, may remit the dues of any member under special circumstances.* ARTICLE VII. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. At each annual meeting of the Association, the President shall deliver an address upon such topics as he may select with the approval of the Executive Committee. ARTICLE VIII. ANNUAL MEETINGS. The Association shall meet annually at such time and place as the Executive Committee may select, and those present at any session of any meeting shall constitute a quorum, except as provided in Articles V and X. The American flag shall be displayed at all meetings of the Association. ARTICLE IX. REFERENDUM. The Executive Committee may submit from time to time by referendum to the individual members of the Association ques *Includes amendment adopted September 3, 1925. tions affecting the substance or the administration of the law which in the opinion of the Committee are of immediate practical importance to the whole country. ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS. This Constitution may be altered or amended only by a vote of three-fourths of the members present at any session of an annual meeting, but no such change shall be made unless at least two hundred members shall be present, nor unless notice of the proposed alteration or amendment shall have been given by the Secretary to the members of the Association either by mail or by publication in the JOURNAL at least thirty days before the meeting at which the amendment is offered. ARTICLE XI. CONSTRUCTION. The word "state," whenever used in this Constitution, shall be deemed to comprise state, territory, the District of Columbia. or any insular or other possession of the United States and places. over which the United States exercises extra-territorial jurisdiction. 1 BY-LAWS. MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION. I. The program and order of exercises at the annual meeting of the Association shall be those prescribed by the Executive Committee and notified to the members at least thirty days before the meeting. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. II. Where the report of a committee has been printed, it shall not be read at a meeting of the Association, but if the report recommends action by the Association, the recommendations shall be set forth at the beginning of the report, and the chairman of the committee may state briefly to the meeting their substance and the reasons for them. RESOLUTIONS-PROCEDURE. III. No person shall speak more than ten minutes at a time or more than twice on one subject, except as indicated on the formal program prepared by the Executive Committee. Every resolution shall be in writing and unless of a formal character or presented by a committee, shall be referred by the Chair on presentation, without debate, to an appropriate committee for consideration and report. No resolution which is neither favorably reported by a committee nor adopted by the Association, shall be published in the proceedings of the meetings. No legislation shall be recommended or approved by the Association unless there has been a report of a committee thereon, and unless such legislation be approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Association present. No resolution complimentary to an officer or member for any services performed, paper read or address delivered shall be considered by the Association. NON-MEMBERS: PRIVILEGES OF FLOOR. IV. Members of the Bar of any foreign country or of any state. who are not members of the Association may be admitted to the privileges of the floor at any meeting of the Association. BOOKS AND PAPERS OF THE ASSOCIATION. V. All papers, addresses and reports read before the Association or submitted to it, shall be lodged with the Secretary and become the property of the Association, and shall not be published unless by the express direction of the Executive Committee. Committee reports which have been printed in full in the JOURNAL shall not be printed again in the annual volume of the Association, but there may be printed therein a brief epitome or condensed summary of such a report which may be prepared by the chairman of the committee making the report. The Committee on Publications shall, subject to control of the Executive Committee, have jurisdiction over all the publications of the Association, except the JOURNAL.* OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES. VI. The terms of office of all officers elected at any annual meeting shall commence at the adjournment of such meeting, except the members of the General Council, whose term of office shall commence immediately upon their election. Vacancies in any office, except the General Council, occurring between the annual meetings shall be filled by the Executive Committee; and such interim vacancies in the General Council shall be filled by the Local Council of the state. VII. The President shall appoint all committees, including special committees, and shall announce the appointments to the Secretary, who shall give notice to the persons appointed. There shall be appointed annually by the President a committee to be known as the Reception Committee, whose duty it shall be to attend immediately before and at the opening of the first day's session of the meeting to receive members and delegates and introduce them to each other. The other committees shall have the following powers and duties: 1. Committee on Commerce.-The Committee on Commerce shall study the present status of federal and state laws and pro posed amendments thereto pertaining or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, recommend to the Association as occasion * Includes amendment adopted July 9, 1924. † Adopted July 14, 1926. |