Then and Now: Ohio Commission on Racial Fairness

In October 2021, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission held a virtual program, Then and Now: Ohio Commission on Racial Fairness, sponsored by the Ohio Black Judges Association, Inc.

The Ohio Commission on Racial Fairness was created as the joint initiative of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Supreme Court of Ohio. The Court and the State Bar presented the Commission with the mandate: “...to identify racial bias where it exists and propose methods for eliminating it from the legal profession and the justice system.” The goal is to highlight the perception and reality of disparate treatment towards underrepresented communities, while recommending methods to help address and eradicate those perceptions.

Hon. Emanuella Groves, Judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court, moderated the program. Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor provided updates on current events in Ohio. Judge Susan Maven presented on the National Perspective of Racial Fairness in the Courts and mentioned how that is being reflected in New Jersey Courts.

Judge Cynthia Stephens, Michigan First District Court of Appeals, and Judge Veronica Galvan, King County Superior Court in Seattle, shared how their respective commissions have progressed towards racial fairness. The Commission’s Co-Chair, Hon. Troy K. Webber and Former Co-Chair, Hon. Shirley Troutman shared how the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission continues to carry out the mission to eradicate systemic racism in the court system by taking affirmative steps to address and eliminate barriers to racial and ethnic fairness. All speakers were able to discuss the difficulty and hopes of achieving racial and ethnic fairness and how the different states are approaching the task at hand.

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