League of Women Voters®of Kansas
|
|
League of Women Voters® of Kansas |
|
STATE JUDICIARY STUDY
League President Mary G. Wilson indicates that, “As of June 2009, 46 out of 265 judges in the state of Kansas were women, and women represented only 16 out of 166 judges at the District Court level. Additionally, there are four African-American, four Latino, one Asian, and no Native-American judges out of 265 throughout the state. We can do better.” Furthermore, Wilson states that “Communities that lack a diverse judiciary risk a crisis of confidence among their citizens.” Wilson believes that a “lack of diversity creates a perception that the courts may not be as fair or impartial as they could be, and leads citizens to question the role the courts play in their lives.” The League of Women Voters has worked to promote a fair and impartial judiciary for more than eight years and is excited to begin a new phase of this project in Kansas, and help America fulfill its promise to provide equal justice for all.
|
|
|
Kansas Judicary Map and Nominating Committees Lists —1/20/2010  Safeguarding U.S. Democracy: The Quest for a More Diverse Judiciary The League of Women Voters continues to work to promote the importance of fair and impartial courts nation-wide. During the next two years, 2009-2011, the League will focus on promoting diversity at all levels of the state judiciary to enhance the legitimacy of our system of justice in the eyes of an increasingly diverse public. According to Norman L. Greene's The Judicial Independence Through Fair Appointments Act, 34 Fordham Urb. L.J. 13,25 (2007), the needs to promote a more diverse bench are: 1) it will inspire more confidence in the judiciary, 2) it will be more representative of the broader community, 3) it will promote justice, 4) it will promote equality of opportunity for historically excluded groups, and 5) it will promote judicial impartiality. A continuation of the status quo will “[a]ffect the way citizens look at the role courts play in their communities, it erodes the trust on the courts, questions the right of equal under the law, and courts may not be perceived to be fair and impartial.” Sponsored by: League of Women Voters of Kansas, Emporia, Great Bend, Johnson County, Lawrence/Douglas County, Manhattan/Riley County, Salina, Topeka, and Wichita The League of Women Voters of the United States announces the launch of Safeguarding U.S. Democracy: A Quest for a More Diverse Judiciary, a two-year, statewide campaign focusing on the importance of diversity in ensuring fair and impartial courts , starting in the state of Kansas. According to the 2008 report from The Brennan Center, Improving Judicial Diversity, most judiciaries do not reflect the diversity in their states—and Kansas is no exception. In pursuit of this goal and in conjunction with a diverse coalition of partners, Leagues across Kansas will develop and implement strategies for education and advocacy, such as community forums, town hall meetings, events at local law schools, and meetings with appointed and elected officials. The project kicked off with a public forum on Saturday, October 17, 2009, in Topeka, featuring the Honorable Rebecca Love Kourlis, Executive Director of the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System. Together with the League of Women Voters of Kansas and eight local Leagues across the state, they will tackle the question: “Does the Kansas Judiciary reflect the diversity of our state? If not, why not?” A preconference reception was held at the Brown vs. the Board of Education Historical site in Topeka. —watch video on youTube Partially funded by the Transparency and Integrity Fund of the Open Society Institute and the League of Women Voters Education Fund. LWVK Contacts: LWVUS Contacts: For more information, go to www.lwv.org/fairandimpartialcourts and the League of Women Voters of Kansas at www.lwvk.org. Also visit: LWV's Fair and Impartial Courts page. Files below are encrypted to be shared by Kansas State Leagues in working on our Judiciary Study. They can be download by anyone, but can not be opened without knowing the encryption password.
|
Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our
webmaster.
© Copyright League of Women Voters of Kansas, Kansas. All rights reserved.
