Never a lawyer, Seth Andersen’s passion and understanding for the justice system stems from participating in mock trial at his high school in Wayne, Neb., and taking courses related to law and society for his history and American studies majors at the University of Kansas. After graduating from college, he began working for the American Judicature Society in Chicago. He then joined the American Bar Association in 2000 and worked there for six years; meanwhile, AJS moved its headquarters to Des Moines in 2003 to form a closer relationship with Drake University. This month, Andersen made the migration to Des Moines to become AJS’s executive vice president.

What is the mission of AJS?

For over 93 years, AJS has focused primarily on bringing together diverse groups of stakeholders who care about the justice system. It is founded on the principle that our system of justice is not just the concerns of lawyers and judges. In fact, they exist to serve the needs and interests of the people and the public should have a strong say in how this system works. We’re the only national organization focusing on courts and administration of justice that includes lawyers, judges and members of the public. It has been a strong tradition to have leading members of the business community and leading members of the judiciary working together to come up with solutions to persistent problems.

What is the most important issue this organization is facing?

There are increasing attempts to get the judiciary as a whole more under control by the political branches of government, especially the legislature. On the federal level, there have been a couple bills proposed to create an inspector general of the judiciary. The problem with this approach is that when the legislature tries to create a super investigator to oversee what’s going on in another branch, it infringes upon the independence of the branch, which always has had the responsibility of policing itself. What concerns a lot of people is that the legislature would be trying to intimidate judges by sending in this super sleuth to investigate their actions. Judges would feel like it would spill into the decisions they’re making. There are more serious challenges in individual states. In Iowa, for instance, over the last couple years, you’ve seen attempts by interest groups or folks unhappy because they lost a case in court, who start a campaign against a judge who is standing for retention. What we’re seeing happen in too many places is individual attacks on judges that are really not based on the merits of the judge’s decisions.

What impact does AJS have on Des Moines?

When AJS relocated here, we immediately established strong ties with the law school. I’m very excited to work with Dean David Walker and the entire law faculty on expanding this relationship. One of the primary things that we’ve done is a joint series of lectures and educational programs on the justice system. One upcoming program is on March 8, we are bringing together members of the legal, medical and pharmaceutical professions and judges to talk about the role of conscience in their everyday work; what happens when your strong moral beliefs conflict with your professional responsibility? The need to educate members of the public, especially young people, about the judicial system also has led us to create a new high school education project. It was pilot tested in three states around the country and actually a high school teacher from Ames was the main consultant on the project. We’re hoping to roll this out around the country and especially here in Iowa in the upcoming year.

What is the biggest challenge you face in this role?

The biggest challenge in this particular line of work is getting people to focus on the judicial system regularly. Lawyers and judges think about it all the time. But it’s getting people to think about how the law and how the courts operate really affects their interests. As a non-profit organization at the national level, it’s also always a challenge to develop new sources of funding for the types of projects that we want to do. We’re always looking for new sources of support. More importantly, human support. People getting involved in the organization and donating their time and expertise.

What do you like to do for fun?

I enjoy playing with my two young boys and spending time with my wife. I’m very excited, moving from Chicago to Des Moines, having a lot more opportunities for outdoor recreation.

– Sarah Bzdega