Women of Color in the California Courts

WELCOME!

In May 2000, the Judicial Council's Access and Fairness Advisory Committee, in conjunction with the Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER) of the Administrative Office of the Courts, presented a statewide conference on women of color and the justice system, The New Millennium: Women of Color as Court Leaders and Managers. The conference offered a unique opportunity for women of color and other interested persons, women and men, to come together to discuss the emerging role of women of color as leaders and managers in the California courts. The participants expressed an interest in maintaining the dialogue regarding issues discussed at the conference. As a result, the subcommittee developed this Web site dedicated to issues affecting women of color. Click on About This Site for more information about the conference and the activities of the Access and Fairness Advisory Committee.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Applications for the Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission) of the State Bar of California are now being accepted

Active members of the State Bar, former members of the judiciary, and members of the public who are interested in volunteering to serve on the 2008 Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission) may apply for an appointment. The application deadline is June 1, 2007.

The JNE Commission, established pursuant to Government Code Section 12011.5, evaluates all candidates who are under consideration for a judicial appointment by the governor. It is composed of attorneys and public members (i.e., those who are not lawyers or who are not admitted to practice in California) who represent a broad cross-section of California's diverse legal profession and general population. Appointed by the State Bar's Board of Governors, the volunteer commission cannot nominate or appoint judges; it does, however, thoroughly investigate candidates for judicial appointment while maintaining a code of strict confidentiality. Commissioners serve terms of approximately one-year and may serve up to three consecutive terms. The terms of the 2008 JNE Commission will commence February 1, 2008.

For more information and to download the application, visit http://www.calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/comcom/Appointments-Application.pdf .

FEATURES

Profile: Justice Joyce L. Kennard, Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court
Justice Joyce L. Kennard has been on the bench in California for the past 20 years and has served as an associate justice of the California Supreme Court since 1989. The first 20 years of her life gave little indication that an education, much less such an extraordinarily successful professional life, was a possibility.