THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                      (San Francisco, California)
________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                     April 15, 1999

       PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JOSEPH F. BACA AND ROBERT N. BALDWIN
                 AS MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 
                   OF THE STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE

President Clinton announced today his intent to nominate Joseph F. Baca and Robert N. Baldwin as Members of the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute.

Senior Justice Baca, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, currently serves on the New Mexico Supreme Court, presiding as Chief Justice from 1995-1997. From 1972-1988 he was a judge on the Second Judicial District Court. In 1998, Senior Justice Baca received the Outstanding Judicial Service Award from the State Bar of New Mexico. Senior Justice Baca is on the Board of Directors of the American Society of Writers on Legal Subjects, a member of the Commission on Appellate Court Performance Standards, and formerly served as President of the Judicial Council of the National Hispanic Bar Association. In addition, he has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute, and is a member of the American Bar Association's Law School Accreditation Committee. Senior Justice Baca received a B.A. from the University of New Mexico, a J.D. from George Washington University, and a Master of Laws in the Judicial Process from the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1973 from the National Judicial College, University of Nevada, and also graduated from the Appellate Judges Seminar at the New York University School of Law in 1989.

Mr. Robert Baldwin, of Richmond, Virginia, has served as the State Court Administrator of Virginia since 1976 and was the Assistant Administrator from 1974-1976. From 1972-1974 he was the Assistant Dean at the University of Richmond Law School. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the American Judicature Society and formerly served as vice-chair of the Board of Directors for the National Center for State Courts. Mr. Baldwin received B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Richmond.

The State Justice Institute was established to award grants to improve judicial administration in the State courts of the United States. It is a private, non-profit organization intended to further the development and improvement of judicial administration in the State courts.

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