It has been one of the great honors of my professional life to serve as President of the National Association of Women Judges. I fell in love with NAWJ more than fifteen years ago; from the start, I experienced firsthand the power of belonging to a vibrant community of extraordinary women judges—women who encourage one another, learn from one another, and use their collective voice to strengthen the judiciary and the communities we serve.
When I selected “Building Bridges, Strengthening Ties” as the theme for my presidency, I wanted it to describe how we would work and grow—as a community of sisters in the law and as an organization—across courts, regions, generations, organizations, and borders. Throughout this year, I endeavored to represent NAWJ everywhere I went and to create opportunities for our members to connect more deeply with one another and with partners who share our commitment to judicial excellence, fairness, education, and access to justice.
Representing NAWJ Across the Country and Around the World
My presidential year truly began before I took the oath of office. As President-Elect, I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, for the International Association of Women Judges, an experience that reminded me that the work of women judges is both local and global. I was then sworn in as NAWJ’s 46th President at our Annual Conference in Boston in October 2025.
From there, I carried NAWJ’s name and mission with me throughout the year: to Denver for the 2025 NAPABA Conference; to San Antonio for the ABA Midyear Meeting; to New York for International Day of Women Judges; to Vancouver and Alaska for our 2026 Midyear Meeting; to Minneapolis for our first-ever Regional Meeting at the Thomson
Reuters campus; to Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, for the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations’ Leave the Ladder Down program; and to Chicago for Relativity’s RelFest 2026, where I was invited to serve as a guest judge and participate in the Legal Data Intelligence State of the Union Debate.
Each gathering created a different opportunity—to build partnerships, highlight the work of our members, broaden NAWJ’s visibility, and remind others that women judges are leading, innovating, mentoring, and shaping the justice system at every level.
Strengthening Our Community
One of the highlights of the year was our Midyear Meeting in Vancouver and Alaska. Bringing members together in a setting that encouraged both substantive exchange and genuine relationship-building reflected exactly what I hoped this presidency would accomplish. Our members came not only to learn, but also to reconnect, welcome newer judges, share experiences across jurisdictions, and strengthen the personal ties that make NAWJ unique.
We also continued to look for new ways to serve judges at different stages of their careers. I am especially proud that our 2026 Annual Conference in New Orleans will include NAWJ’s first Newer Judges Seminar, designed for judges who have served five years or less. Creating a place where newer judges can ask candid questions, gain practical guidance, and develop relationships within NAWJ is an investment in the future of our organization and the judiciary.
Throughout the year, our programs, webinars, district and regional activities, publications, presidential updates, and Counterbalance communications helped keep members informed and connected. The strength of NAWJ has always been that our mission is carried out not by one person or one office, but by members who continually bring their experience, expertise, creativity, and commitment to the work.
Another important milestone this year is the launch of our new NAWJ website this month. The redesigned website will provide a fresh, accessible platform to better connect our members, showcase NAWJ’s programs and accomplishments, share resources, and strengthen our visibility with the broader legal and judicial communities. I am excited that this important investment in NAWJ’s future will launch as we close this presidential year.
Building Partnerships and Strengthening the Organization
A central part of this year has been deepening NAWJ’s relationships with organizations and supporters who understand the importance of an independent, diverse, and well-prepared judiciary. Our work with our incredible Resource Board partners, together with our engagement with national legal and judicial organizations, has expanded opportunities for collaboration, visibility, and support.
We have also remained focused on the less visible but essential work of organizational stewardship—supporting our Executive Director and staff, strengthening Board communication, reviewing governance and bylaws, encouraging thoughtful succession and leadership development, and prioritizing our financial sustainability and the diversification of our income sources.
These efforts are essential if NAWJ is to continue to be a leading voice for women jurists dedicated to preserving judicial independence and advancing the efficient, effective, and fair administration of justice, while ensuring equal access to justice and the courts for all. Judicial leadership, member support, and meaningful programming depend upon a strong organizational infrastructure, and I am deeply grateful to every member of my executive leadership team for their commitment and for the work they have done to help us meet that responsibility.
A Year of Purpose
As I complete this term, I am most proud of the spirit in which we did this work. We showed up for one another. We welcomed new voices. We strengthened old relationships and created new ones. We celebrated women judges while also confronting the real challenges facing the judiciary. And we continued to build bridges—between generations of judges, between regions, between NAWJ and our partners, and between our organization and the communities we serve.
I am deeply grateful to the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, district leaders, committee chairs, staff, Resource Board, sponsors, partners, and every NAWJ member who gave time, ideas, encouragement, and support during this year. I am also grateful for the privilege of representing an organization that means so much to me.
As we gather in New Orleans to close this presidential year, I do so with gratitude, pride, and confidence in NAWJ’s future. The presidency may pass from one leader to the next, but the work continues. The bridges we have built and the ties we have strengthened belong to all of us—and I know they will continue to carry NAWJ forward.
Respectfully submitted,
Hon. Pamela Scott Washington
President, National Association of Women Judges
2025–2026