At the LWVUS 2024 Convention, delegates voted to proceed with a study on the federal judiciary. The study will be completed on a fast-track timeline in time for a position to be announced at the LWVUS 2025 Council in June 2025.
Please check this page often, as information is added on a rolling basis.
Study Guide and Questions for Consideration
The study guide and consensus questions are now available!
- Discussion Prompts
- FJS Consensus Form (PDF) This is a copy of the online survey form that state and local Leagues will complete with their consensus responses. This form can be used in your consensus meetings, but the official form must be completed online by a local or state League representative. No paper forms will be accepted. Forms from individuals will also not be accepted.
- Online Survey Form Please note this form should be completed by League affiliates, not individual members.
- Study Guide (PDF)
- Groups.io discussion group Connect with League members from around the country regarding the study.
Policy Briefs
The Federal Judiciary Study Committee has prepared a series of briefs on particular, specific topics designed to help spark discussion among League members as we work toward a LWVUS position on the federal judiciary. By providing information on these very specific topics, our intention is to help develop a long-lasting position based on the principles of judicial independence, transparency, accountability, and ethics (and possibly others). Our goal is a position that outlines the values – the standards and norms – the League of Women Voters should use in evaluating proposed changes to policies, laws, and regulations about the federal judiciary.
We hope League members find these briefs useful to read and promote discussion in order to discuss then what principles we want the League of Women Voters to use when acting on these issues and on whatever other issues arise in the future.
Remember that as much as we all may want to address specific remedies in our US position, the position should be principle-based in order to ensure that it lasts for many years to come and allows us to address a wide variety of issues that may arise in future years. Our goal is for the resulting League position to be durable. Consider how many of the League’s positions were adopted decades ago and are as useful today as they were at their inception. If we write a position that applies to specific policy issues we know about and that are part of the current debate, it can limit action on other future issues. Policy papers may be downloaded in a PDF version by clicking the links below.