“I am glad that I am not an evergreen. I am glad I can change, shed my leaves and allow myself to be completely renewed every year.”
A Letter From Our President:
Judge Lajuana M. Counts
Greetings!
This year has certainly flown by fast! Can you believe it’s almost May? Our chapter, however, has started off this year being involved and engaged with various community activities, and we have a lot more planned for this summer. One event we all can be a part of soon at various elementary and high
school classrooms throughout our communities is Law Day, April 29 – May 3, 2024, where the theme is “Voices of Democracy.”
This is certainly a great opportunity for us to assist teachers in educating and inspiring the next generation of attorneys and judges. This civic engagement has been a success in our region due to a lot of hard work and dedication of our own Danielle Atchison, and the involvement of many of you! Please consider signing up and making this year’s event another success. It would be awesome to share your pictures in our next newsletter!There are other CLEs and receptions that are being planned for this summer. It will be great to be able to see many of you in person again at these events. Please be on the lookout for more upcoming information. We are also waiting with great anticipation for another wonderful event this Fall, which is the FBA National Conference. During the FBA Leadership Summit on March 22-23, in Washington, D.C., the FBA leadership was excited about coming to the Kansas City Metropolitan Area for the national conference September 5-7, 2024. There was a lot of buzz and great anticipation that the Kansas/Western District of Missouri Chapter will host one of the best conferences ever – thank you Blake Shuart for your enthusiastic presentation! Let’s all ramp up and get ready to make this a reality!
Thank you all for being invested and involved in our chapter!
“Desire to be a Military Judge in United States Navy planted the seed.” By Magistrate Judge Gwynne E. Birzer
(Photo depicts Judge Federico testifying during his confirmation hearing on September 6, 2023.)
When recently appointed United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit Judge Richard Edward Neel Federico joined the United States Navy, it was early in his naval career that he set his sight on the horizon to serve as a Military Judge. Little did he know then that his horizon was farther than he imagined. Shortly after Judge Federico’s appointment, the Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapters of the Federal Bar Association wasted no time seeking permission to introduce him to its members.
Judge Federico is originally from a small town in East Central Indiana. In 1999, trying to make the best of the cost of tuition, he happened upon a University of Kansas brochure, and while we would like to think his choice to attend KU was due to Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, and Kirk Hinrich, the truth is he met the spirit of the Jayhawk and “felt the love”, making the rest history. A more significant bonus was the introduction to his wife, who is a native Kansan from McPherson and KU Law School classmate.
KU aside, Judge Federico’s service in the United States Navy impacts everything he does. He received a commission as a Naval Officer in 2002 and grew up professionally in the Navy. He served on active duty until 2015, when he transitioned to the Reserves, and he still in serves in the Reserves today in the rank of Captain. Beginning in 2019, he has served as a Military Judge, where he was called upon to support the active component and preside over court-martial cases at various Navy installations. According to Judge Federico, serving as a Navy JAG Officer in the military taught him “the conduit of justice is organized and fair, but it has firm expectations.” It was his leadership service that planted the seed and nurtured his desire to serve in the federal judiciary.
Judge Federico, a former Assistant Federal Public Defender, first for the District of Oregon, and later, in the District of Kansas, acknowledges the path to the federal bench has not historically been through work as a Federal Public Defender. However, the Biden Administration emphasized
the nomination process for the Circuit judgeship should depict Kansas’ need for diversity, including professional background. Because of Judge Federico’s level of experience, his faithful service to his country and his distinguished career in the Navy JAG Corps serving as a prosecutor,
defense attorney, appellate defense attorney, and as a military judge, he was a qualified and selected for the nomination. United States Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall, fully committed to bipartisanship, were both genuinely and extremely helpful throughout the confirmation process. On September 28, Judge Federico’s nomination was reported out of committee, and on December 7, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his
nomination. On December 11, 2023, he was confirmed, and he received his commission on December 14, 2023.
In getting acclimated to his position, Judge Federico absorbed all the wisdom shared with him by his predecessor Judge Mary Beck Briscoe. Having practiced in the Tenth Circuit, Judge Federico knew Judge Briscoe had taken senior status and the position had been vacant for quite some time. “She has earned national respect, and [he] is grateful to have the privilege of following in her footsteps.”
The most exciting aspect of the appointment for Judge Federico is “everything.” He is anxious to get to know his colleagues and serve in a new leadership capacity. He is looking forward to presiding over tough cases and the opportunity to wrestle with and solve issues. Having been a trial lawyer for decades, he has a clear understanding and appreciation of the challenges associated with making an argument at the trial court level, and he recognizes the skill it takes to be cognizant in the moment while, at the same time, properly preserving issues for appeal.
Judge Federico has always had tremendous respect for the work of the federal judiciary – at all levels. He appreciates the dedication of the court staff throughout the circuit, he recognizes the crucial role of law clerks, and he acknowledges the significant impact of the intellect of law clerks to the success of chambers. Judge Federico is committed to embracing the United States Constitution and growing within the judiciary by utilizing his abilities to faithfully serve the Tenth Circuit.
Away from the bench, Judge Federico enjoys spending time with his family. And ICYMI, not only is he an avid sports fan, he is an avid KU basketball fan and, like Drew, Nick and Kirk (and many others), Allen Fieldhouse is his happy place! RCJH!
The program was kicked off with an hour “Intro to Art Law” presentation featuring Kelly Anders, former Dean of Students who taught Art Law at Washburn University School of Law. FBA member John Shaw moderated the discussion and opened the presentation with a reading of Stolen, a poem by John Updike.
This was followed by Dowd’s presentation “From Murder to Museums – Lincoln, Napolean and Hitler Walk Into A Bar: Why Statutory Bars on Recovering Nazi-Looted Art Violate International Law.” Dowd is a partner in the Dunnington Bartholow & Miller law firm based in New York City. Among other high-profile cases, Dowd has represented a Jewish family who successfully recovered Egon Schiele artworks stolen by Nazis from a Dachau concentration camp victim. Dowd has been heavily involved in the FBA regionally and nationally.
The event concluded with a catered reception in the museum. Registration was full with 50 signed up to attend. We thank the panelists, speakers, attendees, sponsors and organizers for such a great event.
– 2024 Law Day Celebrations – We Need You!
It’s almost time for Law Day 2024! Our FBA Chapter is proud of our commitment to sharing resources and learning opportunities on civic education with students in our communities. We participate in Law Day celebrations (See ABA Law Day information here: LINK) each year the first week of May.
We are going to be presenting in Kansas and Western Missouri classrooms on the Law Day theme “Voices of Democracy” this year during the week of 4/29/24-5/3/24.
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What we need from you:
Volunteer Presenters! Please sign up to speak during this week. We need volunteers to go into schools and speak to the students (classroom assignments may be elementary through high school). We will provide you with a presentation and training on that presentation. All we need is your time! Please complete this survey to sign up to speak: https://forms.gle/L6JkGShahbFj16FS9
School Contacts! We need contacts to more schools/teachers who may want an attorney/judge to present to their students. If you have any, please send them this link https://forms.gle/jeYefbwbeoBtFEDp7 or have them directly email Civic Education and Outreach committee chair, Danielle Atchison at datchison@uslegalimmigration.com.
Event Spotlight:
Primitivo Garcia Elementary School tour of the WDMO U.S. Courthouse with Judge Lajuana Counts
Event Spotlight:
FBA “Brown Bag” Lunch Event with Chief Judge Eric Melgren
On March 1st, 2024 the FBA Kan/WDMO held a “Brown Bag” lunch event with District of Kansas Chief Judge Eric Melgren. The event was well attended by 18 participants from a diverse group of firms and we had a great roundtable discussion.
Special thanks to Robert Calbi for setting this up! Contact Robert Calbi at r.calbi@gmail.com if you are interested in being placed on the brown bag lunch distribution list.
Our FBA Chapter is proud of our commitment to sharing resources and learning opportunities on civic education with students in our communities. We participate in Law Day celebrations each year the first week of May.
Where: Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse
400 E. 9th Street
Kansas City, MO 64106
Space is limited to 12-15 attendees. District Judge David Gregory Kays has graciously made himself available for a “Brown Bag” on May 23, 2024 and looks forward to having lunch with members of our local bar.
Join us on Zoom the first Thursday of each month at 4:00pm for monthly chapter meetings – open to all members! For more information please email Fedbarkanmo@gmail.com or visit https://fedbar.org/ to join!
From September 5 to September 7, 2024, the FBA Chapter for the Districts of Kansas & Western Missouri will proudly host the FBA 2024 Annual Meeting & Convention in Kansas City, Missouri! Robust CLE sessions on various topics of interest will be presented by an impressive slate of speakers, in addition to award luncheons, business meetings, social events and officer installation events. The Welcome Reception will begin at the WWI Museum the evening of Thursday, September 5. Your local FBA chapter is proud to have the opportunity to host this important event and showcase all that our chapter – and Kansas City – have to offer. Click Here To Register!
