Chief Justice Jeffrey Wilker, Esq.

Jeff can be reached at jwilker@phideltaphi.org.

MESSAGE OF CHIEF JUSTICE WILKER

In 1869, the Founders of Phi Delta Phi created a structure for our organization which has served us well for over 138 years. The Board of Directors of the organization is your “Council” recently elected by the delegates from the student Inns in Fort Lauderdale at the 58th General Convention.

The Phi Delta Phi Constitution has also created a Court of Appeals, consisting of myself as Chief Justice, being the most recent Past President, and two elected Associate Justices, which by tradition have been the second and third most recent Past Presidents, being the Madam Justice Kelley Heide Martin and Mister Justice John Egan.

Our functions are threefold, as set out in Article VII, Section 1(e) of the Constitution, being “judicial, advisory and fiduciary.”

Judicial

This same section of the Constitution provides for our judicial function stating that “the Court shall decide appeals taken by any Inn or member from any decision of the Council, shall decide appeals taken by a member expelled or suspended, and shall give opinions upon questions referred to it by the Council. It shall have no original jurisdiction. It may take evidence and make rules governing its procedure.”

In this capacity, prior Courts have determined, amongst other matters, that the Constitution did not require an Inn to maintain a house or rooms to function as an Inn, (January 5, 1917 and September 22, 1919); a post graduate student, for e.g. a LLM candidate, pursuing a regular course is eligible for active membership, (September 26, 1921 and March 12, 1926); a State Governor and a President of the United States (John F. Kennedy), both not members of the legal profession, were ineligible for membership, (February 23, 1928 and 1961); and, that given that the limit of two honorary members per Inn per annum was extinguished by Constitutional amendment as of August 14, 1997, the Court subsequently confirmed that the 1957 Court of Appeals decision no longer stood.

Your present Court shall be shortly rendering its decision on the interpretation of Section 8 of the Constitution providing clarification of the meaning of the words: “members of the legal profession” and “judges of courts of record, members of law faculties or others learned in the law” for the election of honorary members.

Advisory

Your Court is consulted upon from time to time by both the Council and Executive Director Wheat to provide our “sage” advice and counsel. In this way, as the Founders envisioned, the corporate memory of the Fraternity is reinforced and decision making is made in keeping with our proud and noble traditions.

Fiduciary

In this capacity, your Court is the Fraternity’s banker.

The property of the Fraternity, both real or personal, tangible or intangible, is vested in the Court, with the Court being the trustees for the membership pursuant to Article XIV, Section 1 of the Constitution. This property includes one of the Fraternity’s prized assets, its Headquarters being located in the heart of Washington D.C. near Dupont Circle.

The Court also administers and maintains the Endowment Fund to further the educational and charitable purposes of the Fraternity, pursuant to Article XIV, Section 9 of the Constitution. Currently, the Court, in consultation with Council and Executive Director Wheat, is reviewing the management and investment of our portfolio to ensure that appropriate direction is given to our financial advisors.

Conclusion

It is a humbling experience to follow the luminaries who have sat as Chief Justice of this Court for over 138 years, and is a constant reminder of why this organization remains the most honored, prestigious, and the only truly international legal fraternity.

Jeff Wilker
Chief Justice of Phi Delta Phi