Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission Hosts A Program on the Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Our Courts

Greetings and Remarks provided by Hon. Paula L. Feroleto, Administrative Judge, Eighth Judicial District, and Hon. Gerald J. Whalen, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Fourth Department.

FHW Judicial Commission Co-Chairs, Hon. Shirley Troutman and Hon. Troy K. Webber.

Eighth Judicial District Commission Members: Hon. Lenora Foote-Beavers, Hon. Craig D. Hannah, Hon. Mark A. Montour and Francis M. Letro, Esq.

The Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission for the New York State Courts held a virtual program on Thursday, September 24, 2020, entitled “The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Our Courts,” in which judges and employees of the court system in the Eighth Judicial District met with the Commissioners of the Eighth Judicial District and learned about the work of the Commission in ensuring equal justice in the courts. The program commenced with greetings from Hon. Gerald J. Whalen, Presiding Justice, Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and Hon. Paula L. Feroleto, Administrative Judge of the Eighth Judicial District.

The Commission’s co-chairs, Hon. Shirley Troutman, from the Appellate Division, Fourth Department, and Hon. Troy K. Webber, from the Appellate Division, First Department, reviewed the Commission’s history and heralded its first chair, Franklin Hall Williams, a New York attorney who devoted his life to the pursuit of civil rights. His enduring legacy, the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission, will celebrate its 30th Anniversary as a permanent commission in the New York State Courts next year and continues to promote racial and ethnic fairness in the New York State court system.

Other speakers included local Commission members – Hon. Craig D. Hannah, Chief Judge, Buffalo City Court; Hon. Mark A. Montour, Supreme Court Justice, Erie County; Hon. Lenora Foote-Beavers, Judge, Buffalo City Court; and Francis M. Letro, Esq., The Letro Law Firm. The Commissioners spoke on the importance of diversity in the court system as a means to increase the public trust, confidence and perception of fairness in the justice system, emphasizing that diversity is an integral part of a court system that provides quality and culturally sensitive services to a diverse population. Additionally, the Commissioners discussed the various initiatives of the Commission aimed at promoting diversity on the bench and in the court workforce, ranging from outreach events to raise awareness about job opportunities in the courts and educating attorneys of color about the steps involved in pursuing a judgeship to professional development conferences tailored to court employees at varying levels.

Through these continued efforts, participation by persons of color on the bench and in the court workforce has grown considerably over the past three decades. The Commissioners noted that though concrete progress has undoubtedly been made in this area since the Commission’s inception, achieving the goal of a diverse judicial system that is truly representative of the multiple communities it serves will require continued vigilance.

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