The Washington Administrative Law Judge Association (WALJA) is a professional organization made up of persons who, in the State of Washington, are primarily employed to conduct administrative hearings, write formal decisions based upon administrative hearings, or supervise or review such hearings or decisions. WALJA was incorporated as a non-profit corporation in April 1980. Three hearing officers employed by the Washington State Employment Security Department, William Britton, William Lemke, and Ernest Heller, were the first WALJA officers.
Membership in WALJA is open to persons employed by government agencies who preside over statutory fact-finding hearings or appellate proceedings arising before public agencies, and who prepare decisions for a higher tribunal. Membership is also open to those who supervise the such adjudicatory officials.
Mission of WALJA:
(1) to further the continuing education and career development of ALJs and Hearing Officers;
(2) to raise public awareness of the importance of the ALJ and Hearing Officer profession;
(3) to serve as a voice for ALJs and Hearing Officers and advocate in venues where ALJs and Hearing Officers, are, as a group, stakeholders; and
(4) to facilitate social gatherings and networking opportunities for ALJs.
The National Association of Administrative Law Judges (NAALJ) is the largest professional organization devoted exclusively to administrative adjudication devoted to the executive branch of government. WALJA became a state affiliate of NAALJ in 2004. NAALJ is a non-profit corporation founded in 1974 in the state of Illinois. Its voting members include state, federal, and local administrative law judges, administrative judges, hearing officers, trial examiners, agency chairs and commissioners, as well as higher appellate authorities, exercising a wide variety of subject matter jurisdiction. Associate members include law professors and attorneys involved in administrative law. As of March 1, 2005 NAALJ had approximately 850 dues paying members.
Currently NAALJ has members in every state as well as Australia, Canada, the Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The NAALJ organization includes many state affiliates such as the Illinois Association of Administrative Law Judges, the Kentucky Association of Administrative Law Judges, the Louisiana Association of Administrative Law Judges, the Maryland and District of Columbia Association of Administrative Adjudicators, the Michigan Association of Administrative Law Judges, New York State Administrative Law Judges Association, the Oregon Administrative Law Judges Association, the Virginia Association of Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers, and the Washington Administrative Law Judges Association. NAALJ’s core functions are first, the enhancement of the quality of administrative justice and second, the furtherance of the process of alternate dispute resolution by means of arbitration and mediation. To those ends, NAALJ provides for exchanging ideas and information. It conducts seminars and conferences, publishes a journal and newsletter, and confers with officials of the state and federal governments on methods of improving administrative adjudication. NAALJ has adopted a Model Code of Conduct for State Administrative Law Judges, XVI J. NAALJ 279 (1994), and was a moving force behind the ABA Model Act for Creating a State Central Hearing Agency (Office of Administrative Hearings).
The NAALJ Law Review is a scholarly journal received semi‑annually. It is published by Pepperdine University School of Law. It is widely recognized as the finest scholarly law review exclusively focusing on developments affecting the administrative judiciary.
Conferences — NAALJ holds educational conferences each fall in conjunction with NAALJ's annual meeting. Recent conferences include: “Building a Better Administrative Process” (2003, Orlando, FL); “A Star Spangled City” (2004, Baltimore, MD); and “Further Professionalization of Administrative Adjudication (2005, Chicago, IL). The 2006 Conference will be held in Seattle, Washington, at the Red Lion Hotel in Seattle’s festive downtown. It will be co-hosted by NAALJ, Seattle University School of Law and the Washington Administrative Law Judges Association. It is sponsored by the National Association of Women Judges and the Washington Network of Adjudicatory Agencies.
NAALJ is on the forefront in fulfilling the true and proper role of administrative adjudication within the larger science of jurisprudence. Administrative adjudication has existed since the very beginning of our country in the sense that commissions were created by President George Washington and other early presidents for such functions as the assignment of specific executive responsibilities and calculations of veteran’s benefits from the time of the American Revolution, and the creation of tariffs schedules for American ports. It is our fond hope that in the future our role will take its place in the larger structure of government.