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CHIEF
JUSTICE FOR ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
APPOINTS MEMBERS TO NEW RACIAL AND ETHNIC
ACCESS AND FAIRNESS ADVISORY BOARD
Boston, MA--In
a continuing effort to promote racial and ethnic equality
in the Massachusetts courts, Chief Justice for Administration
and Management Barbara A. Dortch-Okara today announced the
appointment of twenty-five members to a newly established
Racial and Ethnic Access and Fairness Advisory Board. (see
attached list)
Boston Juvenile Court Judge Leslie E. Harris and Dean Robert
V. Ward of the Southern New England School of Law were appointed
to serve as the co-chairs of the Board. The first meeting
will be held on Tuesday, September 11.
The Board’s directive is to advise the Chief Justice for Administration
and Management on “concerns relating to racial, ethnic and
cultural bias in the courts, as well as to unfair treatment
of litigants, attorneys and employees,” according to the mission
statement. Under the direction of the Chief Justice, the Board
will also monitor the progress of remedial measures taken
in response to the recommendations of the 1994 report of the
Supreme Judicial Court’s Commission to Study Racial and Ethnic
Bias in the Courts, will assess the courts’ continuing efforts
to promote equality in the court system, and will recommend
new initiatives.
Chief Justice Dortch-Okara said, “Although the courts have
made impressive strides in recent years to eliminate bias
in the system, it is important to have a knowledgeable entity
assisting us in the coordination of our ongoing efforts and
promoting future endeavors. I appreciate the Board’s willingness
to assist my office as we tackle issues of fairness in the
judicial system, and I look forward to working with the members
who are committed to this endeavor.”
Last May, Chief Justice Dortch-Okara held an educational program
on “Strategies for Implementing Equal Justice” at the Edward
W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston with many judges, lawyers,
and court personnel, and leaders from the American Bar Association’s
Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice. She announced her intention
to form the new Racial and Ethnic Access and Fairness Advisory
Board at that meeting.
In 1994, the SJC’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias in
the Courts released its comprehensive report, Equal Justice:
Eliminating the Barriers, which recommended remedial action
in numerous areas such as interpreter services, fee-generating
court appointments, court employment, care and protection
proceedings, juror diversification, and cultural sensitivity
training for judges and court personnel. Since then, many
recommendations have been implemented. The new Board will
play an important role in coordinating continuing progress
and suggesting further improvements to the Chief Justice for
Administration and Management.
See
attached list of members
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