The following article was written by ABOTA member Hon. Gary M. Jackson (ret.) for 

In the spring of 1971, seven young attorneys met in a Denver office and embarked on a singular mission: to advance equal opportunities for Black lawyers and judges.

It is almost commonplace today to see Black prosecutors carrying the torch of democracy and fulfilling the American principle that the rule of law should apply to all people equally. Former Vice President Kamala Harris as San Francisco District Attorney; Alvin Bragg, New York County District Attorney; Fani Willis, District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia; and Jerry Blackwell, former Minnesota prosecutor in the George Floyd murder trial are all Black prosecutors who gained nationwide media attention in prosecuting celebrity defendants for criminal conduct.

But even in the not-so-distant past, things were so very different.

I graduated from the University of Colorado Law School (CU Law) in 1970. At that time, the nation was divided over the Vietnam War (among other issues), with student protests at Kent State, Jackson State, the University of California at Berkeley, and various other colleges and universities across the nation. The country was still reeling from the untimely deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy. The Black Power movement was impacting all aspects of my life. In the legal arena, the death penalty had been declared unconstitutional in the case Furman v. Georgia by the US Supreme Court. The Hon. Thurgood Marshall was the Black Supreme Court justice we had revered since his selection in 1967, when Jim Cotton, Sonny Flowers, and I were admitted to CU Law. Edward Brooks of Massachusetts was the first Black US senator since the Reconstruction years. Shirley Chisholm of New York was the first Black person to run for president of the United States.

In 1970, when I was hired as a deputy Denver district attorney, I was the only Black deputy DA in the state of Colorado. There was one Latino deputy DA—Roy Martinez—but there were no Asian Americans and only four women who held the office: Anne Gorsuch, mother of current US Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch; Ann Allott, sister-in-law of Gordon Allott, a former US senator; Marilyn Wilde; and Orrelle Weeks, who later became our first Denver Juvenile Court woman judge. All four women were siloed into the non-support section of the office, collecting child support payments or practicing law in the juvenile section.

My “welcome” to the Bar of Colorado was a 1969 photograph in The Denver Post with Art Bosworth, David Fisher, and Bob Swanson. We had been hired as legal interns by Mike McKevitt, Denver District Attorney. Each of us wore a suit and tie. The only difference in our appearance was the three-inch afro on my head, the goatee on my chin, and, of course, my skin color. The photograph set off a firestorm of anonymous letters and even a negative editorial comment by a Colorado Supreme Court justice who called my appearance a disgrace to CU Law and the Denver District Attorney’s Office. My moment of celebration for the achievement of academic success initiated me immediately into the resistance that lawyers of color have faced ever since we entered the profession of law and the American Bar Association in 1925.

Continue Reading

We are currently on Step 4 of the 2025 Membership Process. The Membership Committee is vetting the candidates.

New Trial Requirement: 7 Trials + 100 Points

On October 26, 2024, new minimum trial requirements for membership were approved at the National Board Meeting in Nashville which decreased the number of civil jury trials needed from 10 to 7 but requires additional trial experience from a combination of longer trials, criminal felony trials, and other methods. New members must now have a minimum of 7 civil jury trials to verdict or hung jury AND 100 points on the existing point system used for rank advancements. 

ABOTA, IATL, ISOB, NBA, AND NBTA
ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT DEFENDING THE RULE OF LAW AMID RISING ATTACKS ON THE JUDICIARY AND LEGAL PROFESSION

For over two centuries, the United States has been a beacon of democracy and justice, grounded in the unwavering principle that no individual is above the law. Today, that foundational principle faces a direct assault—not from foreign adversaries but from within. The current administration has engaged in an unprecedented campaign to undermine the rule of law, attack the judiciary, violate court orders, and punish lawyers and law firms for doing their jobs.

Throughout history, authoritarian regimes have understood that the first step in dismantling democracy is silencing those who uphold the rule of law. When the legal system is weakened—when judges are threatened, when lawyers are punished for representing their clients, when court rulings are ignored—tyranny is not far behind. Today, we are witnessing such a moment in America.

The current administration and other officials have not only attacked individual judges for their rulings but have actively encouraged efforts to impeach them. These threats represent more than partisan rhetoric—they are a dangerous attempt to intimidate the judiciary and erode its independence. When the administration signals that court rulings can be ignored or that judges should be removed for doing their jobs, the very foundation of our legal system is at risk.

The attacks have now escalated beyond the courts to the legal profession itself. The administration has singled out law firms by revoking security clearances, directing agencies to terminate contracts, and prohibiting federal employees from engaging with them. These measures are political retribution, plain and simple—an attempt to punish lawyers and firms for representing clients and causes the administration disfavors.

This moment demands action. Regardless of practice area, political affiliation, or position, lawyers must unite in defense of the rule of law. The legal profession exists to serve justice—not political interests. We cannot and will not capitulate in the face of bullying, intimidation, and outright attacks on the institutions that ensure democracy endures.

This is a defining moment—not just for our profession but for our country. History will remember where we stood at this moment.

We stand as unwavering defenders of the rule of law, democracy, and moral integrity. We reject the idea that the justice system is corrupt simply because it holds the powerful accountable. We reject the rhetoric that seeks to delegitimize the courts, the legal profession, and the rule of law itself.

Now is the time for every lawyer—whether in private practice, public service, academia, or corporate counsel—to step forward. The law does not protect itself; it survives because those sworn to uphold it have the courage to do so.

We must volunteer, agitate, use our legal training, and raise our voices to fight against the dismantling of our justice system. We must uphold the principles of fairness and accountability, even when it is difficult, unpopular, or dangerous. We must be relentless in this fight, doing whatever it takes. This is not just a fight for our profession—it is a fight for our country. We will not yield. We will not be silent. We will not stop.

These organizations pledge to continue fighting to safeguard our Constitution and the Rule of Law. We call on all legal organizations to stand strong with us and support our position.