Purpose
The purpose of the Community Engagement & Fairness Committee is to eliminate inequities, disparities, and biases in our court system.
This committee recognizes that the lack of financial, personal, or systemic support as well as our own conscious and unconscious biases leads to inequities within our court system. This committee will strive to develop a greater awareness of the challenges faced by our court users and to cultivate a justice system that works fairly for everyone. This committee will cultivate inclusivity, diversity, racial representation, and raise self-awareness through education, crucial conversations, community outreach, and community collaboration.
Membership and Overview
Community Engagement and Fairness Committee Presentation
The Committee is currently co-chaired by Judge Carlton Davis and Judge Lauri Damrell.
There are four subcommittees. These subcommittees are described below, and the chairs and members of each subcommittee are listed:
| Subcommittee | Purpose | Subcommittee Chair(s) | Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | To raise awareness among judicial officers on issues of equality, social justice, and elimination of bias in the courts. | Judge Stephen Acquisto Judge Andi Mudryk |
Ron Linthicum Mark Slaughter Jeremy Avila |
| Infrastructure (e.g. barriers to access to justice) | To identify, develop and implement plans to address internal culture, policies, and practices that support inequalities in the courts (e.g. expand the jury pool, etc.) | Judge André Campbell | Judge Joginder Dhillon Professor Amagda Perez Tamara Gates - Watson Lollie Roberts |
| Community Outreach | To engage and collaborate with local communities to identify and address inequalities. This committee will host educational forums/conferences on topics relating to equality and social justice to strengthen ties with the community. | Judge George Acero Judge Myrlys Stockdale-Coleman |
Judge Lawrence Brown Shanae Buffington José Manuel Briseño Flores Kamaljit Judge Bryan Hawkins Kelly Ryan |
| Court Leadership | To promote diversity and inclusivity in the judicial applicant pool and in the judicial leadership of our court. | Judge Julie Yap Judge Allison Williams |
Professor Toso Himel Professor Larry Levine Bruce Timm Andi Lienenbaum |