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Achieving Diversity in Our Judiciary Achieving diversity in our judiciary is one of the WBA’s most important goals. With the vacancy left by Justice Sosman, women comprise less than a third of the Supreme Judicial Court. The Appeals Court reflects the same percentage of women: 29%. Women fare only slightly better in Superior Court: 35%. The District Court remains largely a male bastion, as only 21% ‑‑ 33 out of 154 district court judges statewide ‑‑ are women. While more women can be found in the Probate & Family, Housing, and Juvenile Courts, we can and must do better in all our courts.
In his March 21st press release announcing his appointments to the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), Governor Patrick highlighted that his choices reflected "a diverse group of capable lawyers . . . from a broad range of professional backgrounds and experience, all of whom share a commitment to ensuring the highest standards for our judiciary." We call on the Governor and on the JNC to honor that commitment to diversity. More women and minorities should be appointed to the bench, where they have been underrepresented relative to their membership, and to their achievements, in the bar.
We also call on you. Without the intelligent, talented and experienced women of our bar confidently stepping up to the plate, we cannot achieve parity on the bench. We need your candidacy. The WBA stands committed to our long-held goal of promoting qualified, diverse women to the bench, from a range of backgrounds, whether large or small firm, in-house counsel, public sector or legal services. That commitment is not just a lofty ideal: it is a concrete one. We are here to ease your path: to encourage you, to guide you through the process, and to vet you for potential WBA endorsement. Visit us at www.womensbar.org to download an application and learn how our Appointments, Awards & Endorsements Committee can support your candidacy. If you didn’t apply by the June 1st deadline for current vacancies noted in our recent Week in Preview, start charting your course. More vacancies will follow. Come to one of our upcoming educational seminars: Demystifying the Pathway to the Bench in September in Boston, and in October in Springfield.
It is also important to support women and minorities once they enter the judiciary. We are extremely fortunate that the President-Elect of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) is the Honorable Fernande R.V. Duffly, an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Like the WBA, the mission of the NAWJ includes increasing the number of women and minority judges and ensuring equal justice and access to the courts for women, minorities and other historically disfavored groups. Justice Duffly brings fresh ideas and much enthusiasm to her role as President-Elect of the NAWJ, and has already held a standing-room-only program at the Adams Courthouse encouraging law students and young attorneys to consider careers in the three branches of government. Membership of the NAWJ is open to attorneys and law students as well as judges; more information is available at www.nawj.org. The WBA looks forward to working with the NAWJ under Justice Duffly's leadership on issues of common interest in the coming year.
I hope that you will consider a career in the judiciary. The WBA is here to support and guide your efforts. Now is the time for our presence in the profession, and in society, to be reflected on the bench.
Julia Huston is President of the WBA. She wishes to thank WBA board member Stefanie Balandis for her assistance with this article, and particularly for compiling statistics regarding the number of women currently serving in the Massachusetts judiciary. For more information about judicial vacancies and how to apply, visit the Appointments, Awards & Endorsement Committee page at www.womensbar.org or contact AA&E chairs Pam Berman (pberman@apslaw.com), Chris Netski (netski@srbc.com), Lisa Brodeur-McGan (lbm@brodeurmcgan.com) or Pat Rapinchuk (prapinchuk@robinson-donovan.com). |
