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Illinois Supreme Court to hire Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the judicial branch

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Illinois

* Illinois Supreme Court press release…

The events of recent days and weeks have exposed frailties in our public institutions and brought to the forefront the disproportionate impact the application of certain laws, rules, policies and practices have had on the African American population, the Latinx community, and other people of color in Illinois and nationally.

Racism exists, whether it be actualized as individual racism, institutional racism or structural racism, and it undermines our democracy, the fair and equitable administration of justice, and severely diminishes individual constitutional protections and safeguards of full citizenship with the attendant rights and benefits sacred to all. People of color have no less expectation of fairness, equity and freedom from racial discrimination than others, yet they are continually confronted with racial injustices that the Courts have the ability to nullify and set right. […]

But there is still much work to be done.

To further these efforts, the Court is announcing the recruitment of a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) for the Judicial Branch. The CDIO will serve as a leader in proposing practices, procedures and rules for Illinois’ courts to protect the constitutional rights of the public we serve. This executive-level hire will work with the Supreme Court, the Administrative Director and Court leaders throughout the Judicial Branch to achieve the Supreme Court’s strategic goals related to diversity, equity and inclusion.

We recognize that these steps are only part of a long process that requires continuous research on the role of racism in our society and actions necessary for its eradication. The Court will continue to advance initiatives to achieve its mission to protect the rights and liberties of all by providing equal justice for all under law.

Comments

That’s great news. There are a lot of Supreme Court rules that need to be improved and I hope this is a sign the current Court will actively propose improvements for rapid adoption. I also hope the candidates for the Court spend a lot of time discussing their visions for improved rules since it’s the only thing candidates can really campaign about.

Comment by Dan Johnson Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 11:38 am
DuPage County has never had a Black judge. I don’t think they have ever had an Hispanic judge either. I know for a fact that until 2016 they had never elected a Democratic judge

Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 11:44 am
Dan Johnson,
Please share which Supreme Court rules “need to be improved” and what those improvements might be.

Comment by phocion Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 11:45 am
=DuPage County has never had a Black judge.=

Not true (although it took them until last year). Meet Judge George Ford: https://www.facebook.com/dupagesheriff/posts/2398866476810514

Comment by JoanP Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 12:05 pm
I don’t think the courts in Illinois have a problem with diversity. Pretty sure we have judges that hail from every county in Ireland.

Comment by Chicagonk Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 12:12 pm
So exactly what changes will this person make possible. The courts already have to hire with EEOC rules in mind. Will they only allow POC to run as judges? This is meaningless PR. But it at least allows them to hire yet another government pension employee.

Comment by NeverPoliticallyCorrect Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 12:32 pm
Chicagonk, maybe in Cook County, possibly the collar counties.

But I know down here in central and southern Illinois, several European countries have descendants on the judicial bench.

Comment by Lynn S. Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 12:36 pm
It’s hard to believe the court is committed to the rule of law when there is a very real probability that the Chief Justice owes her career to an illegal enterprise.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 1:19 pm
@DuPage Saint

George Ford is black.

I’m not sure if Susan Alvarado identifies as Latinx

Monique O’Toole is Lebanese.

Kavita Athanikar is of South/Southeast Asian descent.

Bakalis, Bugos, and Kappas are all of Greek descent.

Comment by Just Another Anon Tuesday, Jun 23, 20 @ 5:08 pm