A majority of those members of any committee, including the Council, who may be present at any meeting of the Association, shall constitute a quorum of such committee for the purpose of such meeting. The Vice-President for each state, and not less than two nor more than four other members from such state, to be annually elected, shall constitute a Local Council for such state, to which shall be referred all applications for membership from such state. The Vice-President shall be, ex-officio, Chairman of such Council. The Secretary of each State Bar Association recognized by this Association, which accepts this provision, shall become a member ex-officio of the Local Council for such state, provided he be a member of the American Bar Association. A committee of three, of whom the Secretary shall always be one, shall be appointed by the President at each Annual Meeting of the Association, whose duty it shall be to report to the next meeting the names of all members who shall, in the interval, have died. It shall be the duty of the Vice-President from each state and territory to report the deaths of members within the same to the said committee. In states where no recognized State Bar Association exists the members of the American Bar Association for such state shall be called together by the Vice-President for such state for the purpose of organizing a State Bar Association. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. ARTICLE IV.-All nominations for membership shall be made by the Local Council of the state to the Bar of which the persons nominated belong. Such nominations must be transmitted in writing to the Chairman of the General Council, and approved by the Council, on vote by ballot. The General Council may also nominate members from states having no Local Council, and at the Annual Meeting of the Association, in the absence of a majority of the members of the Local Council of any state; Provided, That no nominations shall be considered by the General Council, unless accompanied by a statement in writing by at least three members of the Association from the same state with the person nominated, or, in their absence, by members from a neighboring state or states, to the effect that the person nominated has the qualifications required by the Constitution and desires to become a member of the Association, and recommending his admission as a member. All nominations thus made or approved shall be reported by the Council to the Association, and all whose names are reported shall thereupon become members of the Association; Provided, That if any member demand a vote upon any name thus reported, the Association shall thereupon vote thereon by ballot. Several nominees, if from the same state, may be voted for upon the same ballot; and in such case placing the word "No" against any name or names upon the ticket shall be deemed a negative vote against such name or names, and against those only. Five negative votes shall suffice to defeat an election. During the period between the Annual Meetings, members may be elected by the Executive Committee upon the written nomination of a majority of the Vice-President and members of the Local Council of any state. Persons of distinction not members of the Bar of any state of the United States may, without formal nomination or certification, be elected by the Executive Committee to be honorary members of the Association. Honorary members shall be entitled to the privileges of the floor during meetings, but shall not be entitled to vote, and they shall pay no dues. ARTICLE V.-All members of the Conference adopting the Constitution, and all persons elected by them upon the recommendation of the committee of five appointed by such Conference, shall become members of the Association upon payment of the annual dues for the current year herein provided for. BY-LAWS. ARTICLE VI.-By-Laws may be adopted at any Annual Meeting of the Association by a majority of the members present. It shall be the duty of the Executive Committee, without delay, to adopt suitable By-Laws, which shall be in force until rescinded by the Association. DUES. ARTICLE VII.-Each member shall pay six dollars to the Treasurer as annual dues, and no person shall be qualified to exercise any privilege of membership who is in default. Such dues shall be payable, and the payment thereof enforced, as may be provided by the By-Laws. The annual dues include cost of the AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL, which to members is $1.50 per year. All other publications of the Association shall be free of charge to the members. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. ARTICLE VIII.-The President shall open each Annual Meeting of the Association with an address upon such topic as he may select with the approval of the Executive Committee. ANNUAL MEETINGS. ARTICLE IX.-This Association shall meet annually, at such time and place as the Executive Committee may select, and those present at such meeting shall constitute a quorum. REFERENDUM. ARTICLE X.-The Executive Committee are authorized to submit from time to time by referendum to the individual members of the Association questions affecting the substance or the administration of the Law, which in the opinion of the committee are of immediate practical importance to the whole country, and they shall order such a referendum whenever directed by the General Council. The Executive Committee may arrange with state and local associations for the extension of such referendum system to the members of such associations. The members of the General Council and of the Local Council in the several states shall constitute a committee for their respective states to further the interests and opinions of the American Bar Association in such manner and such ways as shall be suggested by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall see to it that all proper means are taken to give effect to the opinions expressed in response to a referendum. AMENDMENTS. ARTICLE XI. This Constitution may be altered or amended by a vote of three-fourths of the members present at any Annual Meeting, but no such change shall be made at any meeting at which less than 30 members are present. CONSTRUCTION. ARTICLE XII. The word "state," whenever used in this Constitution, shall be deemed to be equivalent to state, territory, the District of Columbia and the insular and other possessions of the United States, and places over which the United States exercises extra-territorial jurisdiction. BY-LAWS MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION. I. The Executive Committee, at its first meeting after each Annual Meeting, shall select some person to make an address at the next Annual Meeting, and not exceeding six members of the Association to read papers. II. The order of exercises at the Annual Meeting shall be as follows: (a) Opening Address of the President. (b) Nominations and Election of Members. (c) Election of the General Council. (d) Reports of Secretary and Treasurer. (e) Report of Executive Committee. (f) Reports of Standing Committees On Jurisprudence and Law Reform; On Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar; On Publications; On Grievances; On Reports and Digests; On Patent, Trade-Mark and Copyright Law; On Insurance Law; On Professional Ethics; On Publicity; On Noteworthy Changes in Statute Law; Sub-Committee on Finance; Council on Legal Education; To Suggest Remedies and Propose Laws Regulating Procedure; On Uniform State Laws; On Membership. (g) Reports of Special Committees. (h) The Nomination of Officers. |