Welcome to the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges’ website. Bienvenido. Yōkoso. Herzlich willkommen. Bienvenue. Ahlan wa sahlan. Huanying guanglin. Benvenuto. Baruch haba. Dobro pozhalovat’. Bem vinda.

Thanks for stopping by. This site offers helpful information and resources about our Association, including links to judicial officers around the world, information about our July 2021 virtual Annual Meeting and Conference, and judicial education materials. Our members-only Member Center provides access to our membership directory, all of our newsletters, photos from prior events, and other special content for our members. Take a look around and let us know if you have any comments or questions.

February 2022

Dear LGBTQ+ Judges,

And suddenly it’s February, the month of love and romance!  Let’s all demonstrate our affection and LOVE to those important to us — including, if it’s not too much a stretch — the organizations that make you feel welcome, respected, and loved.  I hope that includes the LGBTQ+ Judges. It’s my hope and goal as your President that you enjoy the support and collegiality that we offer through our monthly newsletters and weekly Thursday night Zooms, our speaking opportunities at Lav Law, and our learning opportunities via our Judicial Education Institute.  Please know that as an LGBTQ+ judge, you have a place here, are welcome here, and we exist for you! 

If it’s not too bold to ask, I invite you to reciprocate the love by RENEWING your LGBTQ+ Judges membership today. This is my frequent refrain in December, January, and February President’s Messages, but I’ll add a caveat: Apologies to anyone who has had some difficulties navigating our Membership Renewal on our website recently.  The Board is changing our payment portal to make it less complicated.  Bear with us as we improve our website, as your hard-working Board are all busy working judges and we do our best to improve things while managing our caseloads.

Looking forward, planning for our LGBTQ+ Judges’ Annual Meeting continues with great anticipation and optimism.  We hope you can join us in Los Angeles July 27-29, 2022.   Our Annual Meeting is held in conjunction with the LGBTQ+ Bar’s Lavender Law Conference; they too are planning full steam ahead for an in-person conference. We are advised that Lav Law conference attendees will be required to comply with all state/jurisdictional Covid-19 regulations in California and L.A.; those will be spelled out for us closer to the conference time. 

Last February love thought:  Congratulations to Justice Helen Whitener (Washington Supreme Court) on being named an ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Stonewall Award 2022 Honoree.  The virtual event will be held on February 11, 2022 and the story in this month’s newsletter tells more. Justice Whitener’s Stonewall recognition brings LGBTQ+ Judges great joy and pride.  We love you Justice Whitener!