Professor Named Chair of Bar Association Group.
Wendy Mariner, Edward R. Utley professor of health law, ethics & human rights, has been elected as chair of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice. Her election was announced at the ABA’s annual meeting in August.
“It’s a privilege and a wonderful opportunity,” Mariner says, to serve an organization whose mission is “to provide leadership to the legal profession in protecting and advancing human rights, civil liberties, and social justice.”
As chair, Mariner is charged with leading many section-level projects, along with overseeing 20 committees within the Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice. The committees cover various issues in civil rights, such as African American rights, immigration, criminal justice, free press, and LGBTQ rights. The Section includes a “wonderful mix of people and perspectives from all over the country,” Mariner says.
During her chair year so far, Mariner has launched an initiative to protect fair elections and voting rights. Civil rights laws cannot change significantly until citizens actually get to choose their representatives instead of the other way around, she says.The inaugural celebration for the initiative will take place on October 24 at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Ga.
Mariner has been involved with the Section on Civil Rights and Social Justice in various capacities: as a member of the Health Law & Ethics Committee, as a member of the section council, as secretary, and as vice chair. Her term as chair will last a year, after which she will continue to serve on the executive committee.
“I think that much of what we are doing is so important to the rule of law, and it will not end in a year by any means,” Mariner says.
With over 400,000 members, the ABA is one of the largest professional membership organizations in the world. Its size and influence allow sections like Mariner’s to weigh in on critically important laws and policies in the United States that affect social justice issues integral to public health.