§ 10703. Board of Directors

(a) Appointment and membership

(1) The Institute shall be supervised by a Board of Directors, consisting of eleven voting members to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Board shall have both judicial and nonjudicial members, and shall, to the extent practicable, have a membership representing a variety of backgrounds and reflecting participation and interest in the administration of justice.

(2) The Board shall consist of—

(A) six judges, to be appointed in the manner provided in paragraph (3);

(B) one State court administrator, to be appointed in the manner provided in paragraph (3); and

(C) four members from the public sector, no more than two of whom shall be of the same political party, to be appointed in the manner provided in paragraph (4).

(3) The President shall appoint six judges and one State court administrator from a list of candidates submitted to the President by the Conference of Chief Justices. The Conference of Chief Justices shall submit a list of at least fourteen individuals, including judges and State court administrators, whom the Conference considers best qualified to serve on the Board. Whenever the term of any of the members of the Board described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) terminates and that member is not to be reappointed to a new term, and whenever a vacancy otherwise occurs among those members, the President shall appoint a new member from a list of three qualified individuals submitted to the President by the Conference of Chief Justices. The President may reject any list of individuals submitted by the Conference under this paragraph and, if such a list is so rejected, the President shall request the Conference to submit to him another list of qualified individuals. Prior to consulting with or submitting a list to the President, the Conference of Chief Justices shall obtain and consider the recommendations of all interested organizations and individuals concerned with the administration of justice and the objectives of this chapter.

(4) In addition to those members appointed under paragraph (3), the President shall appoint four members from the public sector to serve on the Board.

(5) The President shall make the initial appointments of members of the Board under this subsection within ninety days after October 1, 1985. In the case of any other appointment of a member, the President shall make the appointment not later than ninety days after the previous term expires or the vacancy occurs, as the case may be. The Conference of Chief Justices shall submit lists of candidates under paragraph (3) in a timely manner so that the appointments can be made within the time periods specified in this paragraph.

(6) The initial members of the Board of Directors shall be the incorporators of the Institute and shall determine the State in which the Institute is to be incorporated.

(b) Term of office

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the term of each voting member of the Board shall be three years. Each member of the Board shall continue to serve until the successor to such member has been appointed and qualified.

(2) Five of the members first appointed by the President shall serve for a term of two years. Any member appointed to serve an unexpired term which has arisen by virtue of the death, disability, retirement, or resignation of a member shall be appointed only for such unexpired term, but shall be eligible for reappointment.

(3) The term of initial members shall commence from the date of the first meeting of the Board, and the term of each member other than an initial member shall commence from the date of termination of the preceding term.

No member shall be reappointed to more than two consecutive terms immediately following such member’s initial term.

(d) Compensation; reimbursement for expenses

Members of the Board shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

(e) Status of members of Board as officers and employees of United States

The members of the Board shall not, by reason of such membership, be considered officers or employees of the United States.

(f) Voting rights of Board members; quorum; action of Board on concurrence of majority

Each member of the Board shall be entitled to one vote. A simple majority of the membership shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. The Board shall act upon the concurrence of a simple majority of the membership present and voting.

(g) Chairman; initial selection and term of office; subsequent annual election

The Board shall select from among the voting members of the Board a chairman, the first of whom shall serve for a term of three years. Thereafter, the Board shall annually elect a chairman from among its voting members.

(h) Grounds for removal of members

A member of the Board may be removed by a vote of seven members for malfeasance in office, persistent neglect of, or inability to discharge duties, or for any offense involving moral turpitude, but for no other cause.

(i) Quarterly meetings of Board; special meetings

Regular meetings of the Board shall be held quarterly. Special meetings shall be held from time to time upon the call of the chairman, acting at his own discretion or pursuant to the petition of any seven members.

(j) Open meetings

All meetings of the Board, any executive committee of the Board (on any occasion on which that committee has been delegated the authority to act on behalf of the Board), and any council established in connection with this chapter, shall be open and subject to the requirements and provisions of section 552b of title 5 relating to open meetings.

(k) Duties and functions of Board

In its direction and supervision of the activities of the Institute, the Board shall—

(1) establish policies and develop such programs for the Institute that will further the achievement of its purpose and performance of its functions;

(2) establish policy and funding priorities and issue rules, regulations, guidelines, and instructions pursuant to such priorities;

(3) appoint and fix the duties of the Executive Director of the Institute, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall be a nonvoting ex officio member of the Board;

(4) present to other Government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities whose programs or activities relate to the administration of justice in the State judiciaries of the United States, the recommendations of the Institute for the improvement of such programs or activities;

(5) consider and recommend to both public and private agencies aspects of the operation of the State courts of the United States considered worthy of special study; and

(6) award grants and enter into cooperative agreements or contracts pursuant to section 10705 (a) of this title.

U.S. Code

§ 10703. Board of Directors