Virtual Town Hall – Part 3 and Part 4

On the anniversary of the release of the Report of the Special Adviser on Equal Justice, the Williams Commission held its third Town Hall in October 2021. The purpose of the Town Hall was to provide an update on the Court’s implementation of the recommendations of the Special Adviser on Equal Justice and engage in an ongoing dialogue of the systemic barriers to racial and ethnic fairness in the courts. This Town Hall was primarily an opportunity to hear the steps the Office of Court Administration (“OCA”) has taken to implement the recommendations of the Special Adviser to the Courts.

In May 2022, the Commission held its fourth Town Hall, to continue the dialogue from previous town halls regarding systemic racism and bias in the courts. The Town Hall featured greetings and remarks from court leaders, such as Chief Judge Janet DiFiore, Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Deborah A. Kaplan, and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George. The keynote speaker, Secretary Jeh Johnson, discussed his independent review of the court system and his recommendations to ensure equal justice within the New York State court system. The Town Hall highlighted the OCA’s efforts to implement Secretary Jeh Johnsons’ recommendations. Participating in the panel discussion were Hon. Edwina Richardson Mendelson, Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for Justice Initiatives; Hon. Troy K. Webber and Hon. Richard Rivera, Co-Chairs of the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission; Tony Walters of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; Sherrill Spatz and Kay-Ann Porter Campbell of the Inspector General’s Office; and Krisztina Juhasz and Nick Lianos of the Division of Human Resources. During the question-and-answer period, court employees were given the opportunity to direct questions to the panelists regarding the steps the New York State court system has taken to implement Secretary Johnson’s recommendations.

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