ISBA President John E. Thies is greeted by (from left) Illinois Judges Association (IJA) Immediate Past President, Illinois Appellate Court Justice Carol Pope, and IJA President, Judge Rita M. Novak, of Chicago, at a kickoff Wednesday announcing “Project 225” at the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield. This project is a special program starting the week of September 17 whereby scores of state judges will deliver 225 classroom presentations at high school civics classes statewide to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, other Supreme Court justices, government officials, and bar leaders joined Judge Novak, and members of the association, in a ceremony to explain the program and its objectives, emphasizing the Constitution’s history and contemporary relevance.

The following is ISBA President John E. Thies' response to Chief Judge Holderman's letter on the possibility of weekly federal court closings due to budget cuts. ISBA members are urged to join President Thies in this effort by contacting their representatives in Congress. Contact information for Illinois' Congressional delegation can be found at www.illinoisworknet.com

Dear Chief Judge Holderman:

I appreciate the opportunity to respond on behalf of the Illinois State Bar Association to your September 4, 2012, letter detailing the perilous situation confronting the federal courts in the absence of positive budgetary intervention by the Congress.

You asked about our views on how our lawyer members and their clients would be impacted if the U.S. Court for the Northem District of Illinois is forced to drastically diminish its operations. I want to focus my response on the effect such action would have on our clients - the parties in civil actions and the individuals involved in criminal prosecutions. It is they who would be most affected by the interruption of court services.

ISBA President John E. Thies urges members to attend the upcoming Solo & Small Firm Conference being held Sept. 13-15 in Itasca.

ISBA President John E. Thies was elevated to the position of President of the National Caucus of State Bar Associations at the recent ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago. The purpose of the caucus is to coordinate the efforts of state bar associations across the country in considering and proposing matters before the American Bar Association House of Delegates.

“State bar associations – including the ISBA – have a unique interest in many matters before the ABA House and within the ABA generally," Thies said after being named President-elect of the Caucus in 2011. "These associations are most closely connected to the practicing bar, and the administration of justice at the core level. Accordingly, it is important that state bars have a strong voice within the ABA. In leading the Caucus, I plan to work with other state bar leaders to make sure that this is always the case.”

The National Caucus has been an important resource for the ISBA in connection with the Association’s recent efforts to maintain the ABA’s current position against non-lawyer ownership and fee-splitting with non-lawyers. “The Caucus met in advance of the ABA’s August House of Delegates meeting, and was an important sounding board for us as we decided how to frame this debate in the House.”