Chapter Exchange

Fifth Circuit

Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter

In March 2022, the Lafayette-Acadiana Chapter hosted an event to commemorate and celebrate the landmark decision of Gideon v. Wainwright and to highlight the important work of public defenders everywhere. The event was hosted by Cristie Gibbens, former chapter president and assistant federal public defender for the Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana. Speakers at the event were U.S. Magistrate Judge Carol B. Whitehurst (a former federal public defender for the Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana) and Louisiana Fifteenth Judicial District Judge Valerie G. Garrett (who has experience as a public defender in Louisiana at the state and federal levels). 

Mississippi Chapter

The Mississippi Chapter held a luncheon meeting in Oxford prior to the Bench and Bar Program sponsored by the Northern District of Mississippi. U.S. District Court Judge Sharion Aycock provided an update for the Northern District and spoke about the construction of the new federal courthouse in Greenville. U.S. District Court Judge Kristi Johnson provided a welcome from the Southern District at the luncheon and spoke at a panel during the afternoon program. 

Sixth Circuit

Northern District of Ohio Chapter

On Sept. 30, Oct. 3, and Oct. 4, 2022, the FBA Northern District of Ohio Chapter presented its three-day Trial Academy

Seminar, a program providing newer lawyers with hands-on training in valuable trial practice skills. It was the third such program offered by the FBA-NDOC. This year’s focus was Depositions and Discovery Disputes. The Trial Academy Seminar brought together nine Northern District of Ohio judges and 25 seasoned practitioners from the federal legal community to coach, encourage, and direct the 20 program attendees in learning and developing on-your-feet capability in the courtroom. The program was enhanced by the participation of 21 local area law school students who volunteered their time to be “deponents.” Presentation of the seminar was assisted by a grant from the FBA’s Federal Litigation Section, whose generous contributions allowed the program to award several scholarships to participants who practice in the public sector or who have small or solo practices. The program’s opening day was followed by a reception among the Trial Academy faculty and attendees as well as members of the FBA-NDOC.

This year, the Trial Academy was held in conjunction with the annual State of the Court Luncheon and Swearing in Ceremony, where all the participants, coaches, presenters, and law students were invited to attend. The program culminated in the participants arguing a discovery dispute in the federal courthouse before one of the six members of the Northern District of Ohio federal judiciary who served as presiding judges in their respective courtrooms, while experienced faculty members from the legal community provided valuable feedback on the presentations. 

Eighth Circuit

St. Louis Chapter

On the evening of Oct. 11, 2022, the St. Louis Chapter of the FBA celebrated the distinguished careers of Senior U.S. District Judge

Jean Hamilton, Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Webber, U.S. Magistrate Judge David Noce, and U.S. Magistrate Judge Nannette Baker. All four judges have served on the bench in the Eastern District of Missouri, and all four are retiring from the bench in the coming year. The evening included hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and a few speeches from

Top left: Mississippi Chapter: (from left to right)

Executive Director Dean Emeritus Jim Rosenblatt (Mississippi College School of Law), President Nick Morisani (Phelps Dunbar), Judge Johnson, Judge Aycock, VicePresident Blythe Lollar (Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough) colleagues, including current U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Clark and FBA member (and current assistant federal public defender) Kevin Curran. The event was well attended by FBA members and local judges. The event was held at the beautiful Barnett event space on Washington Avenue in St. Louis. 

Middle left: Northern District of Ohio Chapter :U.S. District Judge J. Philip Calabrese presides over an oral argument in his courtroom as part of the Trial Academy Seminar.