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Key Facts
- Federal level: ABA’s later news archive lists William H. Neukom as ABA President for 2007-2008, which matches the August 2007 start date described in the 2006 succession narrative.
- State level: Washington State Bar News reported in April 2006 that William H. Neukom was nominated to become ABA president-elect and that the ABA House of Delegates would vote at its August 2006 Annual Meeting.
- National overview: Later ABA anniversary posts may use the term “President” for 2006-era activity, but the April 2006 Washington State Bar News excerpt provides the more specific president-elect-to-president timing beginning August 2007.
- Federal level: ABA stated that the World Justice Project was created in 2006 as a presidential initiative supported by 21 strategic partners.
- Federal level: ABA described the World Justice Project as transitioning into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2009.
- Federal level: ABA’s disability rights history timeline refers to “ABA President-elect William H. Neukom” in 2007.
- Federal level: An ABA Bar Leader magazine article (2007-2008) describes a statement of condemnation attributed to ABA President William H. Neukom in response to events in Pakistan.
This archive recovery reconstructs a specific American Bar Association (ABA) leadership transition described in a contemporaneous Washington State Bar News excerpt and then places that record in context using later ABA historical materials.
- The 2006 nomination and the August 2006 House of Delegates vote
- President elect timing and when the presidency begins
- Term dates confirmed in ABA’s later officer listing
- How ABA history materials use the “president elect” label in 2007
- Why some later ABA anniversary posts use “President” when describing 2006
- World Justice Project origins and nonprofit transition as described by ABA
- An example of president era messaging in Bar Leader magazine
- Related archive post on TheFirstFile
- Sources
The 2006 nomination and the August 2006 House of Delegates vote
Washington State Bar News reported that William H. Neukom, chair of Preston Gates & Ellis LLP in Seattle, had been nominated to become president-elect of the ABA and that the ABA House of Delegates would vote on the nomination at its Annual Meeting in August 2006 (Washington State Bar News April 2006 excerpt on Neukom).
President elect timing and when the presidency begins
That same Washington State Bar News excerpt described the succession plan as follows: if elected, Neukom would serve as president-elect for one year and then begin a one-year term as ABA president in August 2007 (Washington State Bar News April 2006 excerpt on Neukom).
Term dates confirmed in ABA’s later officer listing
ABA’s own news-archive materials later list William H. Neukom as ABA President for 2007-2008, which aligns with an August 2007 start date for his president term (ABA past presidents entry listing Neukom 2007-2008).
How ABA history materials use the “president elect” label in 2007
ABA’s disability rights history timeline includes a 2007 entry that refers to “ABA President-elect William H. Neukom,” reflecting that the president-elect label appears in ABA-maintained historical material during that transition period (ABA disability rights history timeline 2007).
Why some later ABA anniversary posts use “President” when describing 2006
In later ABA anniversary coverage of the World Justice Project (WJP), ABA describes “American Bar Association President Bill Neukom” in connection with the project’s 2006 creation, which can read differently from the president-elect-to-president sequencing laid out in the 2006 Washington State Bar News excerpt (ABA 2024 WJP 15th anniversary post).
Reading the archive records together
For archive purposes, the Washington State Bar News excerpt provides the operational succession timing (president-elect for one year and then president beginning in August 2007), while later ABA anniversary posts may use simplified “President” wording when recounting leadership-era activities that span the transition.
| What the source says | How an archive reader can reconcile it |
|---|---|
| April 2006 Washington State Bar News: nominated to become president-elect; House of Delegates vote in August 2006; president begins August 2007 | Supports the leadership title sequence and the start of the president term |
| ABA WJP anniversary posts: describe “President Bill Neukom” while recounting a 2006 initiative | Likely uses retrospective “President” wording for narrative convenience, rather than repeating the president-elect installation timeline |
World Justice Project origins and nonprofit transition as described by ABA
ABA’s WJP anniversary coverage states that, in 2006, President Bill Neukom created the World Justice Project as a presidential initiative supported by 21 strategic partners, and ABA also described WJP’s transition into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2009 (World Justice Project celebrates 15th anniversary).
An example of president era messaging in Bar Leader magazine
ABA’s Bar Leader magazine article in the 2007-2008 issue attributes a statement of condemnation to ABA President William H. Neukom in response to events in Pakistan (ABA Bar Leader Pakistan article 2007-2008).
Related archive post on TheFirstFile
A related TheFirstFile archive item connects to William H. Neukom through ABA president William H Neukom’s statement on the Supreme Court gun control decision.
