President’s Message: In a Time of National Crisis

As I took the presidential oath this past September at the Annual Meeting and Convention, I recognized the great privilege that I was given to serve as president of the Federal Bar Association as it entered its centennial year. To be at the helm of this important organization during such a milestone celebration and to recall and remember those pivotal moments of our past is an honor that I share with my esteemed predecessors who also served during anniversary years: Hon. Tom C. Clark, who led the organization during its silver anniversary in 1945; Professor Paul Treusch, who served during the FBA’s golden anniversary in 1970; and Alan C. Harnisch, who was president during the diamond anniversary year in 1995.

Now, as we honor the milestones of our past while facing the current global pandemic of COVID-19, we know that we have been here before as an organization—seeking to serve our members and further our mission in a time of national crisis. The FBA was just 20 years old when the world went to war. It was during wartime that the FBA elected its first female president, Marguerite Rawalt, in 1943. Even with World War II going on, President Rawalt increased membership by 33 percent. During the 1960s and 1970s, the country seemed to roll from one inflection point to the next—from the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Kennedy and King assassinations, to the civil rights struggle, Vietnam, and Watergate. And during these tumultuous times, past FBA leaders and members provided critical U.S. institutions with stability and guidance. With each situation, the FBA has had to make very difficult decisions regarding how the organization adjusts to the circumstances.

In 1977, FBA President Richard E. Wiley led the association through the postponement of its annual meeting originally scheduled for September 26-October 1 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the first time the FBA had staged the event outside the continental United States, but the meeting was postponed due to the untimely passing of Convention Chair and former FBA Puerto Rico Chapter President Alan H. Randall as well as concerns for the safety of FBA members at the time. President Wiley and the leadership made the necessary but difficult decision to postpone the meeting.

In 2001, the FBA canceled its annual meeting, scheduled for September 12-15 in Tucson, Arizona, due to the terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon on September 11. In the midst of this tragedy, one month later, Russell A. Del Toro was sworn in as the first Hispanic national president during a special meeting of the Executive Committee in his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

And now in 2020—our centennial year—the Board of Directors made another difficult but necessary decision to cancel the FBA Leadership Summit and Centennial Celebration, scheduled for March 18-21 in Washington, D.C., because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not celebrating the anniversary with so many of you weighed heavily on us as we navigated through this unprecedented situation. At the time of this writing, we are still working through arrangements to reschedule the centennial celebration to a future date. Although we do not know what the event will ultimately look like or when it will take place, we will indeed find a way to celebrate the past 100 years together in some fashion.

These are unsettling times that are impacting every facet of life throughout the world. Our members are faced with difficult decisions every day during this global health crisis. Perhaps now more than ever, the FBA is dedicated to providing resources and support to our members as we all face new challenges. We are dedicated to connecting you virtually with other lawyers nationwide and to advocating on behalf of all federal practitioners and the courts. Once we have journeyed through this crisis together and returned back to some semblance of normalcy in our everyday lives, you can count on the FBA to resume in-person gatherings nationally and through your local chapters. If there is anything that we can do to help you during this time of uncertainty, please let us know. Our job is, and remains, to support you and to make a difference in your professional career.  We are here for you and will get through this together, just as the FBA has always done throughout its 100-year history.

Christian K. Adams

President

Federal Bar Association