Board Meetings
By J. Mark Weiss
Same-Sex Marriage Policy Statement. The Board of Trustees discussed adopting a policy statement concerning same-sex marriage at its July 6 meeting.
The issue came to the Trustees’ attention in light of the pending same-sex marriage case before the Washington Supreme Court. An opinion in that case is expected this September or October. President Gary Maehara reported that the King County Bar Association has a long history of speaking out against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and that Peter Greenfield asked the Trustees to approve the development of a position statement. Any position statement would not be adopted until the input of KCBA members could be considered.
Some Trustees questioned whether the KCBA should advocate any position at all, in light of the pending case before the Supreme Court. Then there was the issue whether a policy statement should be limited to anti-discrimination, should include civil unions or should extend to same-sex marriage.
Most Trustees felt that this was a hot-button issue that warranted more thorough consideration, including the different ways in which the civil rights of same-sex couples could be supported. Accordingly, the Trustees voted to develop a policy statement and created a task force for that purpose.
At the August 3 meeting, Maehara reported that the task force was still hard at work identifying issues and that the task of writing a policy statement was more complex than originally thought. Stay tuned.
Mission Statement. The Trustees discussed, word-smithed and adopted a new mission statement for the KCBA. After a process that started at a retreat this summer and ended in the consideration of seven different proposals, a dark-horse eighth version, circulated the morning of the August 3 meeting, was adopted after several edits and votes on two more amendments. The new mission statement for the KCBA is:
The King County Bar Association provides support to its diverse membership; promotes a just, collegial and accessible legal system and profession; works with the judiciary to achieve excellence in the administration of justice; strives to benefit the community through its own efforts and those of its Foundation; and offers opportunities for public service and input into matters of public policy.
This article discusses selected issues that were before the Board of Trustees at its July 6 and August 3 meetings. Complete minutes of these and other board meetings are available from the KCBA office. n
J. Mark Weiss is KCBA Secretary/Trustee. Mr. Weiss practices family law in Seattle. He can be reached at (206) 622-6707.
