Bylaws
Bylaws of the
International Society for Justice Research (ISJR)
(Approved at the General Business Meeting on June 21, 2014 in New York, U.S.A.)
§ 1 Name and Seat
The Society is named "International Society for Justice Research e.V.[1]" (ISJR).
It was registered in 1997 as a non-profit scientific organization at Potsdam, Germany.
§ 2 Objectives
Questions about justice are ubiquitous in interpersonal relations, within and between communities, social groups, organizations, and states. They are at the core of social conflicts and they are essential for sustainable conflict resolutions. A wide variety of scientific disciplines consider issues of justice.
The aim of ISJR is to advance justice research in every way. The aim of the bylaws is particularly realized by
1. organizing and conducting biennial scientific meetings and further opportunities for the exchange of scientific information,
2. editing a newsletter to foster productive discussions of new ideas, research, and theories, and
3. encourage international and interdisciplinary research cooperation.
The society pursues exclusively and directly non-profit aims in the legal sense of the paragraph „non-profit aims“ of the fiscal code. The society is acting unselfishly. It does not pursue goals primarily serving its own economic interest; funds can only be used for the objectives of the Society. No one may be benefited by expenses that do not correspond to the objectives of the Society (cf. §2) or by disproportionately high compensations. No member receives donations from the resources of the society.
§ 3 Membership
Membership is available to scholars whose work is related to issues of justice and who apply to join the society (including academics, students, and other individuals engaged in relevant research).
§ 4 Membership Dues
Dues for members are determined by gross individual annual income, as follows:
Gross annual income Fees (in US $)
a) Under $30,000 $20
b) $30,001 - $65,000 $55
c) $65,001 - $100,000 $75
d) Over $100,000 $95
Dues for members in category a) do not include a subscription to the journal Social Justice Research. If a member in this category wishes to subscribe to Social Justice Research, her/his total dues to the society will be equal the cost of the journal. Dues will increase to accommodate scheduled increases in journal subscriptions. Any other changes in due regulations are to be decided by the members at a General Business Meeting of the Society.
§ 5 Expiration of Membership
Membership expires with death, resignation, or a failure to pay dues for two consecutive years. Resignation is possible only at the end of a financial year by notifying the treasurer. Membership may be terminated by the Executive Board in instances of weighty reasons.
§ 6 General Business Meeting
General Business Meetings will be held every two years, if possible on the occasion of the biennial scientific meeting. General Business Meetings must be announced to the members at least three months prior to the scheduled dates. With two exceptions, the members attending the General Business Meetings are authorized to make decisions by a majority vote, regardless of the number of members present. Amendments to the bylaws (cf. § 10) and the dissolution of the Society (cf. § 11) require a quorum of at least 20% of the members. Abstentions are considered invalid votes. The schedule of every ordinary General Business Meeting must include:
- the accounts of the Society for the preceding period,
- the approval of the Executive Board,
- elections to the Executive Board (cf. § 8 and § 9).
With the restrictions specified in § 10 and § 11, the agenda to be addressed at the meetings may be changed or supplemented by request of the majority of the attending members. The approval of the Executive Board may only be given after examination of the past annual accounts by two members of the Society not currently on the Executive Board, who report their approval of the accounts at the General Business Meeting. The decisions made at the General Business Meeting are noted in the minutes that normally have to be signed by the President and the Secretary, and in extraordinary cases by Past-President and Treasurer.
§ 7 Extraordinary General Business Meeting
If necessary in the interests of the Society, an Extraordinary General Business Meeting may be summoned by the Executive Board. An Extraordinary General Business Meeting must be summoned if 20% or more of the members have requested this in written form to the Executive Board. An Extraordinary General Business Meeting must be announced 1 month in advance.
§ 8 President
The President will be elected by ballot for a two-year term one year before she/he is to take up this office. During the period before her/his term as President, she/he will be member of the Executive Board as President Elect. After the end of her/his term as President, she/he will belong to the Executive Board as Past-President until the forthcoming President is elected. Together with the Executive Board the President is responsible for providing leadership, maintaining the current operations of the Society (sponsorship and organization of meetings, production of newsletters, selection of members, collection of dues, etc.), and for stimulating new ways in which the Society may promote research and communication in the field. The President will be elected by the plurality of votes, preferably from a slate of candidates prepared by the Executive Board with the approval of those nominated. A President can serve no more than two consecutive terms.
§ 9 Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of the President, the President-Elect/Past-President, the Treasurer, the Secretary, one Newsletter Editor, the Editor of Social Justice Research and the Host of the forthcoming biennial meeting. The Treasurer and the Secretary are elected by the majority of the members attending the General Business Meeting for a period of two years. In the case of a Treasurer’s or Secretary’s death or resignation before the end of the two-year term, the Executive Board may elect, by majority vote, an interim office-holder for the remaining term.
The Editor of the Newsletter, and the Host of the forthcoming biennial meeting are elected by the
Executive Board by majority vote. A slate of candidates for the Editor of Social Justice Research are approved by the Executive Board by majority vote and are sent to the publisher for final selection. Once a year, the Editor will supply the rest of the Executive Board with a journal report that includes statistics such as number of submissions received, number of decisions pending and the stage at which these manuscripts stand, number of manuscripts accepted, number of manuscripts rejected, average time to decision, and the discipline and country of submission for manuscripts accepted for publication.
Reelections are allowed for all positions of the Executive Board. In the case of a President’s death or resignation before his or her term is over, the President-Elect assumes the role of President for the remaining term. If a President-Elect has yet to be chosen, the Past-President will assume the role of President until a President-Elect is voted into office (upon which, the new President-Elect will immediately assume the role of President, and the Past-President will revert to his or her role as Past-President).
The functions of the Executive Board are:
1. to decide about the use of revenues,
2. to advise on the programs of scientific meetings, on the contents and format of the newsletter, and on other activities of the Society,
3. to advise with respect to the policies designed to advance the goals of the Society,
4. to elect the Editor of the Newsletter, the host of the forthcoming biennial meeting, and to develop a slate of candidates for the Editor of Social Justice Research,
5. to advise with respect to bylaws.
§ 10 Amendments to Bylaws
Amendments to the bylaws can only be decided by vote at a General Business Meeting with a quorum of at least 20% of the members. Any proposed modification requires a majority of at least 2/3 of the recorded valid votes. Amendments to the bylaws are only allowed if information about the planned modifications is included in the announcement of the General Business Meeting. In the case that less than 20% of the members attend the General Business Meeting, the following General Business Meeting has a quorum regardless of the number of attending members. This must be announced in the invitation to the General Business Meeting.
§ 11 The Dissolution of the Society
The Society may only be dissolved by majority decision at a General Business Meeting attended by at least 20% of the members. The announcement of such a Meeting must include the intention to dissolve the Society. In the case that less than 20% of the members attend the Meeting, the following Meeting has a quorum regardless of the number of attending members. This must be announced in the invitation to the General Business Meeting. If the Society is dissolved or by discontinuation of tax-exempt status, its resources will go to a tax exempt non-profit organization or to a public corporation that has to devote the resources for the advancement of justice research. The allocation of all resources is to be decided by majority vote on the General Business Meeting.
§ 12 Representation of the Society in Legal Transactions
The President, and only the President, has the authority to represent the society in any legal transaction and to speak on behalf of the society, except when the President delegates in writing his/her authority, in the whole or in specific cases, to another member of the Executive Board.