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Wednesday, Mar 27, 2024

Judicial Diversity Efforts Not Showing Results

White judicial candidates in California still outnumber all other races by wide margins and, as a whole, represent a substantial majority of all nominees presented for appointments to the bench, new data released by the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation showed. In fact, the percentage of Caucasian candidates actually increased last year, compared to 2007, even as the percentage of whites in the overall population continues to decrease. In ’07 the number of white nominees equated to 51 percent of the total, while in ’08 that number increased to 56 percent. Since 2007, the commission, the governor’s office and the Administrative Office of the Courts have been required to provide an annual report on demographic data relative to the ethnicity and gender of judicial applicants and judges. The commission is a State Bar agency that evaluates all candidates who are under consideration for a judicial appointment by the Governor. The agency is made up of members from the legal profession and the public. Following, are generalized demographic data regarding the ethnicity of judicial candidates in California during 2008: Asian Candidates Male: nine (or three percent) Female: five (or two percent) Total: 14 (or five percent) Black Candidates Male: 10 (or four percent) Female: 15 (or six percent) Total 25 (or 10 percent) Hispanic Candidates Male: 23 (or nine percent) Female: 12 (or five percent) Total: 35 (or 14 percent) Indian (sub-continental) Candidates 0 Native American Candidates 0 White Candidates: Male: 100 (or 39 percent) Female: 45 (or 17 percent) Total: 145 (or 56 percent) Pacific Islander Candidates: 0 Other Male: 16 (or six percent) Female: four (or two percent) Total: 20 (or eight percent) Unknown Male: 11 (or four percent) Female: nine (or three percent) Total: 20 (or seven percent) Thom Senzee

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