ABA Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary and
ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary
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The ABA Judicial Division Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary, created in 1987, provides a catalyst to promote equal participation of minorities in the profession through educational experiences, outreach opportunities and numerous publications. The committee presents CLE programs, student outreach programs and prints the Minority Judges Directory . The Committee is dedicated to keeping a diverse judiciary in the mind of the public and the legal profession.
The Standing Committee has 12 members, consisting of a Chair and five at-large members appointed by the Judicial Division Chair, plus one member from each of the six Judicial Division conferences appointed by the Conference Chairs. In addition, the Standing Committee has liaisons from the ABA Law Student Division and the National Association for Law Placement. Each member is appointed for a three-year term. Action Plan and Bylaws The Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary operates under an ongoing Action Plan. The Action Plan is currently being updated and will be available soon. Judicial Mentor Program The Judicial Mentor Program (JMP) works to attain greater diversity in the judiciary by encouraging minority lawyers to seek and achieve judicial office. The program pairs interested lawyers with judges in the area of the judiciary to which they aspire. The Committee is responsible for publicizing the JMP, soliciting lawyers and judges to participate, matching the participants and engaging in follow-up and program evaluation. Judges: online registration . Attorneys: online registration . Directory of Minority Judges of the United States In 1992, the Standing Committee proudly announced the compilation of the first and most comprehensive minority judges directory ever created. The Standing Committee has been responsible for publishing in 1994, 1997, 2002 and again in 1998. Order the Directory of Minority Judges of the United States. |
History of the Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary
The ABA Judicial Division's Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary was created in 1987 by Judge Martha Craig "Cissy" Daughtrey, then-chair of the Division, as a means of providing a catalyst for promoting the full participation by minority judges in the judicial system, while attracting minority judges into the ABA. It was designed to compliment what was then known as the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, which was created as a catalyst for promoting the full participation in the legal profession by minority lawyers and attracting minority lawyers to the ABA. The Standing Committee, then known as the Task Force on Opportunities for Minorities in the Judicial Administration Division, began by undertaking a study to identify problems typically faced by minority judges. From that study, the Standing Committee developed a comprehensive Action Plan designed to address the problems with practical, far-reaching solutions. Chief among the problems of minority judges has been, and continues to be, the isolation experienced where few, if any, colleagues are minorities. Other problems have included few teaching, lecturing and public speaking assignments, the lack of meaningful professional alliances and the absence of strategies and resources to retain judicial seats after appointment. In addition, minority judges have not had the opportunity to become involved in structured mentoring activities in large numbers. Finally, minority judges have not typically received the respect of the bar and of colleagues that majority judges have enjoyed. Liaison Activities With representatives from each of the six Conferences, the Standing Committee maintains liaison relationships with many groups including the National Bar Association Judicial Conference, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Native American Bar Association, the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the National Judicial College and the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. |
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