The NBA - America’s Legal Conscience: Election Protection

An informed, protected, and activated electorate is paramount to today's fight for a more just society. The political atmosphere in the United States represents an existential threat that must be challenged. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "fierce urgency of now," we must reignite the powerful force of voter education without delay. As a former New Orleans City Councilman and the only NBA candidate seeking the nomination for President-Elect who has elected political experience, I know firsthand the power of political office and the impact those in office can have on the lives of others. My political background has garnered me powerful political allies in this fight. I have the endorsement and support of the First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Troy Carter, and Former Senior Advisor to President Biden, Cedric Richmond.

Federal life-changing elections are fast approaching that will impact the freedom, justice and equality of citizens across the nation. The 2026 United States Midterm Elections are of particular importance. Understanding this precipice of time, I sounded the alarm to the leadership that the NBA should immediately engage its Election Protection initiative, and my request was granted. I was also given a leadership role as the 5th Circuit Representative on the Election Protection Coordinating Committee. The NBA must engage its non-partisan but formidable election protection initiative to impact the Midterm Elections, which would fall within the 2025 President-Elect's leadership year. As we have done in the past, the NBA must take the lead in educating the African American community, in particular, on the electoral process. As President, I will use the full power, strength and resources of the NBA to support this initiative. This is why the first pillar of my campaign platform, Civic Activism & Voter Education, is not just a priority, it is a necessity.

Civic Activism through Voter Education Matters Now More Than Ever

This moment demands leadership that is proven, prepared, and principled, not for photo ops or empty rhetoric, but for real action. A political system that suppresses choice, undermines legal accountability, and shields injustice under the guise of righteousness is not a system rooted in democracy. One of my proudest moments as a Vice President and member of the NBA was my participation in the impressive 2024 NBA United States Presidential Election Protection Initiative. In strategic partnership with other prominent civil rights organizations, the NBA showed up in force. On election day, I served from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at our Washington, DC, national headquarters and previously visited the formidable Atlanta, Georgia headquarters. 

Service Is Not New for Me, It is a Lifetime Commitment

I have lived a life of service for decades. From rebuilding New Orleans as an elected City Councilman after Hurricane Katrina, to helping drive down the murder rate as the city’s first African American Criminal Justice Commissioner, to taking students from underserved communities to world destinations and into courtrooms, my life’s work has been centered around building access and opportunity. As Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm Trials and Mass Torts and as past Chair of the billion-dollar University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors, I have fought to make institutions more responsive to the people. I have worked across Regions, Affiliates, Sections and Divisions to ensure the National Bar Association stands not just for prestige, but for purpose.

As immediate past Vice President of Regions & Affiliates, I successfully led the 2023 NBA National Constitution Day Program, which focused on teaching voter rights to thousands of high school students nationwide. Along with the President of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, I presented to students in Brooklyn, NY. I was also on the ground with NBA members at a community center in Miami, Florida for the 2023 Wiley Branton Symposium. The NBA organized an assembly of residents in a session titled “A Community Forum on Voting Rights and the Threat to Democracy.”  

What Comes Next Is Up to Us

As a proactive leader who recognizes the politically precarious times we are confronted with today, I have a key role in engaging the NBA Election Protection Initiative that will continue beyond the 2025 NBA election. This initiative resumes the critical work of arming the electorate with information and support to participate in an unfettered electoral process. To that end, I am working on the following objectives in continuity with the new NBA leadership: 

• Educate communities on voting rights, election processes, key deadlines and the direct link between the ballot and their basic rights,

• Register eligible voters with a focus on historically underrepresented groups.

• Protect voters from disenfranchisement and provide real-time support for voting issues.

• Activate voters to participate in the Midterm elections through coordinated outreach efforts.

• Mobilizing lawyers as civic leaders, not just in courtrooms, but at the ballot box.

At the NBA Centennial in Chicago, I will present on Election Protection and recruit attorneys to join us in taking a stand to protect our constitutional right to vote.  This campaign is about more than a position. It is about standing together against a rising tide of extremism, suppression, and institutional erosion. It is about reaffirming that our political leaders must work for the people, not as a weapon against them. Inaction is not neutrality; it is complicity. Activism must be the heartbeat of our profession, not the footnote. In the spirit of the late great Pauli Murray, a 1944 graduate of my alma mater Howard University School of Law, let us build a National Bar Association that does not just respond to history but helps shape it. THE NATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION IS AMERICA’S LEGAL CONSCIENCE!

I am ready to serve!

In service,
James Carter
Proven. Principled. Prepared.

Proven Leader, Ready to Serve & Dues Paid

My prayers go out to those dealing with the catastrophic effects of the deadly heatwave. In unprecedented times like these, we must rely on the extraordinary legacy of the National Bar Association’s valiant and visionary Founders. Moreover, I could not thank God enough for my parents, who gave me a solid foundation. I am writing to you today not just as a candidate seeking the Nomination for President-Elect of the National Bar Association, but as someone whose life has been guided by a simple truth: “To whom much is given, much is required.” I have been blessed with unique experiences and achievements. I am grateful to share this journey of service with my wife of 24 years, Dr. Rene Carter, and our loving son, Brice. With God leading my path, my campaign vision for President-Elect of the NBA is grounded in three key pillars: Civic Activism & Voter Education, Economic Power & Independence, and Strengthening the NBA Family.

I was taught at my alma mater, Howard University School of Law, where I serve as an Adjunct Professor and on the Board of Visitors, the late great Dean Charles Hamilton Houston’s timeless words that “a lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite on society.” In that spirit, I have lived a life of social engineering, raised in a community where helping others was not a choice but a calling. That calling led me to extend my heart, soul, background, and experiences to the NBA. I serve as the current Vice President of Finance, immediate past Vice President of Regions and Affiliates, and in other key roles. My service on the Board of Governors, combined with my day-to-day work within the Association, has vastly deepened my understanding of the NBA and its needs. My dedication to humanity, particularly the marginalized and underserved communities, is recognized by honorary degrees from Grambling State University and the University of New Orleans. However, I am most proud to have received the 2022 Gertrude Rush Award. 

NBA Board of Governors, Leadership and Service Experience Highlights

• NBA Board of Governors Executive Committee

• NBA Election Protection Coordinating Committee, 5th Circuit Representative

• Founder, NBA Health & Wellness Resource Center

• Originator, B2T NBA Wall Street NASDAQ Initiative

• NBI Affiliate Scholarship and Bar Passage Program

• Moderator of the Centennial Commission: Honoring the legacies of Wiley A. Branton and the National Bar Association

• Chair, Region, and Affiliate of the Year Competition 

• NBA MLK Drum Major for Justice Advocacy Competition

• Chair, NBA Constitution Day Initiative

• Chair, Diversity in Tech Summit

• Chair, Executive Director Search Committee

• Civil Trial Advocacy Bootcamp Faculty

• Presented at numerous Continuing Legal Education Seminars 

• NBA Lifetime Member

• NBI Lifetime Member

• Centennial Legacy Society Member

• Chairman, Finance Committee

• Budget Committee

• NBA Centennial Convention Planning Committee

• NBA Membership Special Task Force

• Fund Development Committee

• Administration & Facilities Committee

I know what it means to show up to serve when it matters most, and I am ready to continue that commitment as President-Elect of the National Bar Association. As the Chairman, I showed up in Brooklyn, New York, in 2023 to implement the substantive NBA Constitution Day Initiative, which focused on teaching voting rights to thousands of high school students nationwide. I showed up to serve on the ground at our Washington, D.C. headquarters for the impactful NBA 2024 U.S. Presidential Election Protection Initiative. My leadership vision also includes the immediate activation of that same awesome NBA  power and expanding it to ensure a just and unfettered 2026 Midterm Election experience for those particularly in marginalized communities. Out of my love and concern for the NBA family, I established the NBA Health & Wellness Resource Center, accessible on the NBA website. 

As the Managing Partner of The Cochran Firm Trials and Mass Torts and a member of the firm’s National Board of Directors, I have led high-stakes litigation and built a nationally respected practice rooted in advocacy for those who need it most. As New Orleans’ first African American Criminal Justice Commissioner, I implemented reforms that sustainably reduced the city’s murder rate and established systems that protect communities and increase transparency. In 2006, I stood with the people of New Orleans serving on the first City Council elected after the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina, leading not just to rebuild, but to reimagine what justice and equity could look like in a city so deeply wounded. I am particularly proud of leading the establishment of the city’s first Office of the Independent Police Monitor, which has caused a significant decrease in the occurrences of police brutality in New Orleans. I am currently working in conjunction with the NBA Criminal Law and Juvenile Justice Section to bring the Independent Police Monitor institution to cities across the nation. 

I was Chair of the billion-dollar University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors, guiding policy and oversight for nine public universities. While in that role, I co-founded the Reginald F. Lewis Education Opportunity Initiative, which focuses on the successful matriculation of African American males through the member universities. Also, as Chairman, I led the effort that resulted in Grambling State University constructing a new state-of-the-art digital library. For my work, the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors in 2024 dedicated the James and Mildred Carter Pavilion within the new library in honor of my parents. My leadership has cemented a high-value partnership between Bridge 2 Technologies and the NBA. Every year, this relationship brings NBA leaders to the 30 Trillion Dollar Market Cap NASDAQ on Wall Street to ring the bell and network with the world’s largest corporations. This relationship will lead to my determined vision of causing the NBA to acquire business assets that will produce self-generating revenue, resulting in the NBA not primarily relying on third-party sponsors to operate. As the immediate past Vice Chair and current Commissioner of the globally significant Port of New Orleans, I bring international maritime and business opportunities to NBA members. My leadership experience has proven transferable to my service within the National Bar Association. My ability to communicate, motivate, and inspire is key to moving the NBA forward!

I have worked across Affiliates, Sections, Divisions, and Regions to empower members, grow programs, and ensure that our organization stands for more than just events; it stands for real value and real impact. Each role has prepared me for this moment. And yet, my service extends far beyond titles. I have lectured across the country and the world, including Southern University Law Center, Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Loyola University School of Law, Tulane University School of Law, the University of Virginia School of Law, Oxford University in England, and the Sorbonne University in Paris. I have stood at the intersection of law, policy, and justice to create real change because I believe nothing is more important than a just society in America and worldwide.

As we embark on our glorious Centennial,  I believe there has never been a more critical time for the National Bar Association to lean into its purpose, to lead with courage, to protect our communities, to challenge the erosion of civil rights, and to empower our members. With this activistic vision, the NBA membership will dramatically increase because the world will witness and experience the NBA in its rightful place as America’s Legal Conscience.  I humbly ask for your prayers, support, and vote! 

I am ready to serve!

In service,
James Carter
Proven. Principled. Prepared.