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PAGE 5 ene rr srington Past, July 17, 06 @ Mikva, 60, said yesterday that he was satisfied with the court's action, saying that his role in recruiting for the ABA section had been limited. "My bottom line," Mikva said, "is that if the worst thing I've ever done in my life is recruit lawyers to the American Bar Assactation, I've led a pretty uninteresting life." The dispute arose after reports in legal trade journals described Mikva's appearance before lawyers' groups in Chicago last October. He urged the lawyers to jain the 2,700-member Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section, saying, "It's a battle for the soul of the American Bar Association. The legal foundation filed its complaint in February. Mikva, a “former Democratic Illinois congressman who was appointed to the bench in 1980 by President Carter, said he had been unaware that recruiting dues-paying ABA members might fall under a general prohibition on judges soliciting funds. In some quarters, the foundation's complaint against Mikva was seen as another round in an angaing battle between liberals and conservatives over ideology in the judiciary. Last year, the foundation sued the ABA over its use of a secret screening process to evaluate presidential nominees to the federal bench. Some conservative judicial candidates have been blocked by the screening process. The foundation's lawsuit is pending. LANGUAGE: ENGLISH EXIS*NEXIS@ LEXIS:NEXISS= LEXIS:NEXIS@= rvices of Mead Data Central, Inc.