Former SJI Board Chair Chief Justice Jim Hannah was posthumously inducted into the Warren E. Burger Society during the National Center for State Court’s (NCSC) Annual Recognition Luncheon on November 17, 2016.  Chief Justice Hannah, who passed away in January 2016 at the age of 71, had served as SJI Board Chair since 2010, and also served as President of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Chair of the NCSC Board of Directors.  Attendees included 18 members of his family, along with members from the SJI Board of Directors.  The ceremony was hosted by Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton, CCJ President and Chair of the NCSC Board of Directors.  The Burger Society honors individuals who have volunteered their time, talent, and support to the NCSC in exceptional ways.  It is named for the former Chief Justice of the United States who helped found the NCSC in 1971.

Other inductees included: Wallace Jefferson, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas and current Partner at Alexander, Dubose, Jefferson & Townsend in Austin, Texas; Donna Melby, Partner with Paul Hastings, LLP in Los Angeles; Edward Mullins, Jr, Partner with Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Columbia, South Carolina; and Myron T. Steele, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware and current Partner with Potter, Anderson & Corroon, LLP.