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Mission & History

History of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts

In December 1988, the New York Commission on Minorities, chaired by Ambassador Franklin H. Williams, organized and hosted the first meeting of then existing state court task forces and commissions on racial and ethnic bias. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the task forces and commissions from New Jersey, New York, Michigan, and Washington State an opportunity to discuss the status of their research and program activities.

One of the outcomes of this historic meeting was a decision by the chairpersons and executive directors to schedule a follow-up meeting in Orlando, Florida, January 20-22, 1989, for the purpose of exploring and adopting a formal structure which would enhance communication between existing and future task forces and commissions on racial and ethnic bias in the judiciary. The following four states were represented: Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Washington. The chairpersons of these task forces and commissions were: The Honorable Harold Hood, Court of Appeals, Michigan; The Honorable Theodore Z. Davis, Superior Court, New Jersey; Ambassador Franklin H. Williams, Phelps Stokes Fund, New York; and The Honorable Charles Z. Smith, Associate Justice, State Supreme Court, Washington.  The executive directors of these task forces and commissions were: Lorraine H. Weber, Esquire, Michigan; Yolande P. Marlow, Ph. D., New Jersey; Edna Wells Handy, Esquire, New York; and Desiree B. Leigh, M.A., Washington.

During the 1989 meeting, the group voted unanimously to establish a formal cooperative relationship and to request that the National Center for State Courts act as the group's secretariat. The group adopted the name The National Consortium of Task Forces and Commissions on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts. Then in 2002, the name of the organization was changed to The National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts.

In the intervening years, the National Consortium has grown from four (4) state task forces and commissions to over thirty-seven (37). By-Laws were adopted in 1995 at the Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, and modified in 2005 at the Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization was incorporated in 1999.

Read the "La Placita Mainifesto."

Mission


The National Consortium is committed to encouraging the highest courts of each state to create commissions to examine the treatment accorded minorities in their courts; sharing the collective knowledge of task forces and commissions with courts, law enforcement, and the community; and providing technical assistance and expertise to commissions, task forces, and other interested organizations and individuals on the subject of racial and ethnic fairness.

In order to promote a court system that is fair to all and free of racial and ethnic bias, the National Consortium will work collaboratively to:

  • Advance efforts to eliminate bias from court operations, promote equal access to the courts and inspire a high level of trust and public confidence in the courts;
  • Share scholarly information, recommendations, and evidence-based practices with courts, the legal community, law enforcement, and the public;
  • Strongly encourage the highest courts of each state to create, revitalize and support commissions to examine racial and ethnic fairness within their courts; and
  • Provide technical expertise, consultation and support to existing commissions and other organizations.

The purposes of the National Consortium are:

  • To provide an annual forum to discuss and share research and program activities, as well as progress made in program activities and recommended reforms;
  • To encourage all state courts to establish or cause to establish an appropriate entity or investigative body with the purpose of examining the treatment accorded racial and ethnic minorities in the courts;
  • To encourage all state courts or other established bodies to implement recommendations made as a result of a state's findings; monitor the progress; advise the court on major emerging policies and procedures; and advise the court of proposed legislation that may adversely impact racial and ethnic minorities, women, and other low-income citizens;
  • To work with the National Center for State Courts in its role as a clearinghouse and repository for task force and commission reports on racial and ethnic fairness in the courts;
  • To develop a national agenda for educating the courts, the legal profession, the law enforcement community, and the general public concerning racial and ethnic fairness in the courts;
  • To share the collective knowledge of former or existing task forces and commissions on racial and ethnic bias and fairness in the courts;
  • To share and promote the collective knowledge in dealing with and promoting racial and ethnic fairness and impartiality in the courts, the legal profession, the law enforcement community, and the general public.

To view the complete list, click on bylaws section 3.1.

To view the complete list, click on bylaws section 4.1 (c) and (d).