ACS Panel on Judicial Diversity
Staff attorney Elizabeth Monkus participated in a panel discussion with Justice Mary Jane Theis and Circuit Court judges Patrice Ball-Reed and Rossana Fernandez at the American Constitution Society’s first Midwest Convening on Saturday, October 15. The panel discussed diversity on the bench and The Gavel Gap report, released by ACS in July of this year. The conversation was lively and engaging. We at Chicago Appleseed always appreciate the opportunity to engage with law students, judges and the community on topics related to our work.
The panel discussed both their experiences becoming judges, as women and women of color and children of immigrants, and the general literature available concerning how diversity impacts judicial decision-making. The panel also explored how the diversity of the sitting bench affects the opportunities available to minority candidates for the bench, as well as how the diversity of law schools and law firms will control access to those opportunities. Finally, the panel focused on how diversity creates legitimacy in the court as an institution.
Perception of the court as an institution is a central theme to our work at Chicago Appleseed, particularly with regard to judicial election, retention and selection. Our research is insufficient to conclude which method of judicial selection creates the best qualified, most diverse body of judges. However, the body of research into the impact of minority representation shows that creating a court with demographics similar to the communities it serves improves the court’s reputation for fairness and integrity.