The International Association of Women Judges is a left-of-center international membership organization based in Washington, D.C. The group works with female judges around the world, with a membership of over 6,500 as of 2025, and strives to increase the number of female judges and enact legal and policy reforms through its country-based chapters. These policy changes include the promotion of LGBT interests. ^{1 2}

Founding and History

The International Association of Women Judges was founded in 1991 by 50 female judges to increase the number of female judges around the world and to promote what it considers to be equal justice by rooting out gender bias and making legal and judicial policy changes. Since then, the association has grown to over 6,500 members around the world in over 100 countries. ¹

Finances

For 2023, the International Association of Women Judges reported $1,255,870 in revenue, of which $246,689 was derived from contributions and $995,518 from program service revenue. It reported $1,811,872 in expenses, of which $539,318 was spent on staff salaries and compensation. Additionally, it spent $356,677 on other salaries and wages, $402,420 on travel expenses, and $376,970 on conference and meeting expenses. It ended the year with a net loss of $556,002 and $1,937,284 in net assets. It received $174,863 in grants from governments, making up roughly one-sixth of total revenue. ³

Organization Philosophy

The International Association of Women Judges was founded to increase the number of female judges around the world and to promote what is calls equal justice for women. It works towards this goal by providing a network for female judges to work together, and by promoting policy change through its members. It specifically cites using human rights law to accomplish its goals of advancing gender equality and valuing cultural diversity. ¹

Projects and Initiatives

The International Association of Women Judges claims to have more than 6,500 members from more than 100 countries. The association promotes membership to access networking opportunities, conferences, regular information updates, and potential career and leadership advancement opportunities. ⁴

The association runs a variety of programs that are administered in conjunction with country-level membership associations. These strive toward goals including fighting sextortion, promoting judicial integrity, and running trainings related to human trafficking. There are also programs to promote women in law and the judiciary and to promote LGBT interests. ²

Leadership

Christie R. Jones is the executive director of the International Association of Women Judges, a position she has held since 2021. Previously she worked at different institutions related to international development and conflicts. These include the office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force, and George Mason University as deputy director at the Center for Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security. ⁵

1. “Who We Are.” International Association of Women Judges. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=882224&module_id=475491.
2. “IAWJ Programs Overview.” International Association of Women Judges. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=882224&module_id=478687.
3. International Association of Women Judges, Return of an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990) Part I, VIII, IX, 2023.
4. “Benefits of Membership.” International Association of Women Judges. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://iawj.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=882224&module_id=475494.
5. “Christie R. Jones.” LinkedIn. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christierjones/details/experience/.