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| American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law | |
|---|---|
| Name | American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law |
| Abbreviation | ABA SLG |
| Formation | 1935 |
| Type | Professional association section |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois |
| Parent organization | American Bar Association |
American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law is a specialized division of the American Bar Association focused on legal issues affecting state government, local government, and related public entities in the United States. The Section brings together practitioners, judges, scholars, and public officials to address matters of constitutional law, administrative law, municipal finance, land use, and public personnel through policy development, education, and publications. It interfaces with entities such as the National Governors Association, the United States Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, and academic institutions including Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, and Columbia Law School.
The Section traces its roots to early 20th‑century efforts within the American Bar Association to address state and local legal practice, formalizing during the 1930s alongside reforms inspired by the New Deal and judicial developments from the United States Supreme Court. Over decades the Section responded to landmark events including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, decisions of the Warren Court, and federal statutory changes such as the Administrative Procedure Act. Prominent figures associated with its evolution include jurists and scholars from institutions like the University of Chicago Law School, the University of Michigan Law School, and the Georgetown University Law Center, while collaborations have occurred with organizations such as the Brookings Institution, the Hoover Institution, and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Governance is exercised through an elected Chair, a Council, and standing officers drawn from members who are lawyers, judges, and academics affiliated with entities such as the Federal Judicial Center, state supreme courts (e.g., California Supreme Court, New York Court of Appeals), and law firms with practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and federal trial courts. The Section operates under ABA House of Delegates rules and liaises with ABA divisions like the Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice and the Section of Litigation. Its structure includes committees and task forces that reflect policy priorities similar to those advocated by the National League of Cities and the Council of State Governments.
The Section’s mission aligns with advancing the rule of law through analyses of statutes, model acts, and advisory opinions touching on state constitutions and municipal charters; it engages stakeholders such as state attorneys general offices (e.g., Office of the Attorney General of Texas, Office of the Attorney General of California) and municipal counsel associations. Activities include drafting model legislation, offering amicus briefs in cases before tribunals like the United States Supreme Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and partnering with public finance entities such as the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board and the Government Finance Officers Association. The Section’s work often intersects with litigation trends influenced by decisions in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and statutory frameworks like the Clean Air Act.
The Section publishes practice guides, benchbooks, model codes, and periodicals used by practitioners at firms and public agencies including county counsels and municipal law departments; examples of associated outlets and institutions include the ABA Journal, university presses at Oxford University Press, and compilations used by clerks of courts in jurisdictions like Cook County, Illinois and Los Angeles County, California. Its materials inform comparative analyses alongside works from the American Law Institute and reports by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The Section’s model acts and reports are cited in opinions of state appellate courts and referenced in treatises authored by scholars from Stanford Law School and NYU School of Law.
The Section organizes annual meetings, symposia, and continuing legal education programs accredited by state bars such as the State Bar of California, the New York State Bar Association, and the Texas Bar Association. Conferences convene panels featuring judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, academics from the University of Virginia School of Law, and practitioners from national firms engaged in municipal work, with programming that parallels gatherings like the National Conference of State Legislatures and workshops sponsored by the American Planning Association. CLE topics range from municipal bond issuance under Internal Revenue Code rules to land use disputes informed by precedents like Penn Central Transportation Co. v. New York City.
The Section fields committees on subjects including constitutional law litigation, municipal finance, public contracts, land use and zoning, public pensions, and ethics, often organizing task forces to respond to emergent issues such as cybersecurity incidents affecting local infrastructure or federal preemption controversies involving statutes like the Affordable Care Act. Committees collaborate with state bar sections, county counsels, and federal agencies including the Department of Justice and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to produce guidance, model provisions, and comment letters.
Through model codes, amicus briefs, testimony before legislative committees in state capitols such as Sacramento, California and Albany, New York, and engagement with entities like the National Association of State Budget Officers, the Section shapes doctrine and practice in areas ranging from municipal finance to administrative procedure. Its recommendations have informed reforms adopted by state legislatures, cited in opinions of state high courts (e.g., Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court), and used by municipal reformers and advocacy organizations such as the League of Women Voters and the National Housing Conference to influence policy debates.