us-copaju NEWS
2025 US-COPAJU Annual Conference / March 26-28
“Court Integrity and Democracy: Combating Corruption and Ensuring Judicial Independence”
The first annual conference will held at Dayton University, Dayton, Ohio. The objective will be to explore the crucial role of courts as the final safeguard of democracy. This event will focus on how corruption and bribery within court systems erode public confidence in the judiciary and undermine the fundamental principles of democracy. Judicial Corruption is the abuse of judicial power for personal gain. This can include bribery, undue influence, manipulation of case outcomes, and other forms of misconduct by judges or judicial officials. It undermines the rule of law, erodes public trust in the legal system, and can lead to unjust outcomes. A corrupt judiciary or perceived corruption can lead to a loss of power and credibility, prompting other branches of government to intervene and redistribute the balance of power among the three branches of government, resulting in decreased judicial authority, independence, and funding. This event will also discuss strategies to restore and maintain judicial integrity and independence to prevent improper shifts and redistribution of judiciary authority and power.
Judge Tamila E. Ipema Speaker at Balkan Women Judges Conference
On February 12th, 2024, US-COPAJU Senior Advisor, spoke at the Balkan Women Judges Conference in Belgrade, Serbia on December 7 - 8. Judge Ipema was invited by the U.S. State Department's Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) to speak at the Conference. Her topic areas included a discussion of ethics, judicial independence, gender-based violence and international collaboration.
The Conference was part of the annual 16-day United Nations' advocacy to prevent gender-based violence. The Conference included attendees from Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia.
Scholarship Established in US-COPAJU Senior Advisor's Name
The Iranian-American Bar Association of San Diego, California, has established a scholarship in the name of the Senior Advisor to the US-COPAJU.
The Tamila Ebrahimi Ipema Social Justice Scholarship will be awarded annually to a law student who is passionate about social justice and turns that passion into action through volunteering in their community.
Judge Ipema will be present when the first scholarship is awarded on March 15, 2024.
US-COPAJU Member Linda Murnane presents in Mexico
On November 15th, 2023, US-COPAJU Member Judge Linda Strite Murnane presented her paper titled "Laudato Si The Importance of The Right to a Healthy Work EnvironmentChild Labor, Sexual Harassment and The Role of the Legal Profession in Achieving a Healthy Work Environment."
The paper can be found on the website on the publication sections. We thank the kind invitation of Dr. Jesus Zuñiga González to participate, and in particular, the kind assistance of Maria de los Ángeles Corona Casteus Zúñiga González, who served as the interpreter for the presentation, is acknowledged with thanks.
US-COPAJU Member Judge Linda Strite Murnane Speaks in ABA Webinar
On November 16th, 2023, US-COPAJU Chairperson Linda Strite Murnane participated in the American Bar Association's Civil Rights and Social Justice Section webinar titled "125 Years of Empire: Examining the Separate and Unequal State of U.S. Territories".
The webinar was presented on November 16, 2023.
The link to view the program can be found here:
US-COPAJU Member presents at International Conference
In April 2024, in Seattle, Virginia, US-COPAJU member, The Honorable Marian Gaston, was a featured speaker in two sessions of the International Research Conference on Adolescents and Adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in April in Seattle, WA. Judge Gaston spoke first on innovative practices in Juvenile Court proceedings in San Diego, CA. She was also a featured speaker in a panel titled "The Verdict in Your Court: Advancing Justice for Individuals with FASD Across Judicial Systems".
US-COPAJU Senior Advisor Tamila Ipema Presents in Tunja, Colombia
On April 11th, 2024, the Honorable Tamila Ipema, Senior Advisor to US-COPAJU, joined judges from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru at a recent conference in Tunja, Colombia, to discuss the importance of access to justice. The meeting, organized by Judge Maria Julia Figuereda Vivas, included law students and police academy students. The presentation was well attended and included a discussion of being aware of implicit bias.On April 11th, 2024, the Honorable Tamila Ipema, Senior Advisor to US-COPAJU, joined judges from Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, and Peru at a recent conference in Tunja, Colombia, to discuss the importance of access to justice. The meeting, organized by Judge Maria Julia Figuereda Vivas, included law students and police academy students. The presentation was well attended and included a discussion of being aware of implicit bias.
US-COPAJU Member Bernadette d'Souza Speaks in Seoul, South Korea
US-COPAJU Member, the Honorable Bernadette d'Souza, was invited to speak at the 2023 Seoul, South Korea Family Court International Conference. Her presentation was titled “Visitation as Children’s Rights and Settlement of Related Legal Disputes.” Judge d'Souza has been nationally and internationally for her tireless work on access to justice, family law and domestic violence. She is pictured here with Korean Supreme Court Justice the Honorable Min You-Sook.US-COPAJU Member, the Honorable Bernadette d'Souza, was invited to speak at the 2023 Seoul, South Korea Family Court International Conference. Her presentation was titled “Visitation as Children’s Rights and Settlement of Related Legal Disputes.” Judge d'Souza has been nationally and internationally for her tireless work on access to justice, family law and domestic violence. She is pictured here with Korean Supreme Court Justice the Honorable Min You-Sook.
US-COPAJU Senior Advisor Speaks in Peru
On November 16th, 2023, The Honorable Tamila Ipema, Senior Advisor and the U.S. representative appointed by Pope Francis to the COPAJU, recently spoke on access to justice through the use of collaborative courts and family justice centers in Trujillo, Peru.
US-COPAJU invited to Attend Vatican Conference in Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences
Members of US-COPAJU were invited to attend the Workshop sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of the Social Sciences titled "Colonization, Decolonization, and Neocolonialism from the Perspective of Social Justice and the Common Good. The members attended and were present in the Conference that took place in Rome on March 30th and 31st of 2023.
Details may be found at this link: