The Board of Trustees met June 19–20 and 25 in Phoenix, Ariz. (©Nancy Pierce)

Board to review Fifth Principle Task Force report

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After the close of the Justice General Assembly, the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees met Monday for a half-day meeting to reflect on last week’s events and discuss upcoming board business.

Board members were abuzz with the just-released U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Arizona S.B. 1070 immigration law. Lawyer-board members Nancy Bartlett and Catherine Cullen briefed the board on the ruling. “I’m thrilled by the ruling. It is really a victory for us,” Cullen said. Even though the “show your papers” provision was upheld, she noted that the court indicated it would likely review that provision with more specific facts. “It really wasn’t technically ripe for judicial determination by the Supreme Court,” she said.

UUA President Peter Morales pointed members to his press statement on the case. “As Unitarian Universalists, we applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down several portions of SB1070, a law we have held as immoral and unjustifiable since its inception. It is heartening to see this unjust law begin to crumble, and for the Supreme Court’s decision, we are thankful. However, I am deeply disappointed that the Court has chosen to uphold the ‘check your papers’ portion of SB1070,” he said in the statement.

The board took just one vote, approving changes to the monitoring report schedule.

Members also welcomed the new youth observer, Katherine Allen of Unity Church in St. Paul, Minn.

The board discussed its process for determining which current members will sit on the smaller board, when it is reduced to 14 members in 2013. The board will be naming four current trustees to serve two-year terms on the new board.

The Nominating Committee will present a slate for the other positions, including some trustees to serve one-year terms and some to serve three-year terms. (People can also run by petition.) This will create a staggered cycle, so eventually four new trustees will be elected each year.

At Monday’s meeting, the board named a group of people to suggest a process for exploring the qualifications they seek in the four trustees who will be appointed to the two-year terms. They will discuss that further in the July board conference call.

Board members also reflected on their individual responses to the Justice GA, especially as it related to governance issues. The board will begin a review of the Fifth Principle Task Force report and its recommendations regarding changes to General Assembly in light of the Justice GA at an upcoming meeting.