Member Spotlight

Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland Takes Oath

POSTED ON March 4, 2013 In Member Spotlight

Following a long and difficult path to confirmation, the Honorable Tracy Thorne-Begland took the oath of office on March 1st. His appointment to a six-year term on the Richmond General District Court was confirmed January 14th by the Virginia House of Delegates and a day later...

Feinman to Become New York’s First Openly Gay Male Appellate Judge

POSTED ON October 6, 2012 In Member Spotlight

With well-understood excitement, Judge Paul Feinman, our immediate past President, shared with the Board of Directors news of his October 1st appointment by Governor Andrew Cuomo to become a member of the New York Appellate Division, First Department.  In Judge Feinman’s words: This is the first time...

Judge J. Gary Cohen Receives 2012 Hero Award

POSTED ON August 16, 2012 In Member Spotlight

Congratulations to Judge J. Gary Cohen (British Columbia), our former President. The Canadian Bar Association has announced, "The Hon. Judge J. Gary Cohen of Surrey, B.C., is the winner of the Canadian Bar Association’s (CBA) 2012 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC) Hero Award. Judge Cohen...

Pamela Ki Mai Chen Nominated for U.S. District Court

POSTED ON August 4, 2012 In Member Spotlight

August 2, 2012 - President Barack Obama has nominated Assistant United States Attorney Pamela Ki Mai Chen to serve as an Associate Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  According to the Washington Blade, "In addition to being one...

Remembering Retired Judge G. Keith Wisot

POSTED ON July 28, 2012 In Member Spotlight

Retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge G. Keith Wisot, was a founding member of the Association and our first Treasurer. His July 21, 2012 death of a heart ailment, his impact and accomplishments are discussed in an article by Karen Ocamb published July 24, 2012. ...

Name Change To Be Finalized At Annual General Meeting

POSTED ON July 7, 2012 In Member Spotlight

Our Annual General Meeting will convene at 12:15 p.m. on Friday, August 24th, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., site of the 2012 Annual Lavender Career and Law Conference. Among many exciting items on the Agenda is a vote to finalize last year's resolution...

Harris Denied Seat on New Jersey Supreme Court

POSTED ON June 2, 2012 In Member Spotlight

On May 31, the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee rejected the nomination of Bruce Harris to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Had his nomination been confirmed, Harris, the mayor of Chatham Borough, “would have been the first openly gay and third African-American justice on...

Discrimination Against LGBT Jurors Highlighted

POSTED ON May 12, 2012 In Member Spotlight

Journalist Andy Birkey explores flagrant discrimination against prospective jurors on the basis of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identification in a recent Colorado Independent article. The examination goes as far back as the trial of Dan White for the murder of San Francisco Supervisor...

Student Writing Competition Inaugurated

POSTED ON February 21, 2012 In Member Spotlight

For the first time, the International Association of LGBT Judges (IALGJ) and the National LGBT Bar Association are sponsoring a writing competition open to law students who will be attending the 2012 Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair. Students may choose to write about one of these...