LASC: SUPERIOR COURT OF LOS ANGELES COUNTY SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR NEW LOCAL/REGIONAL ANTI-BIAS SUBCOMMITTEE

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County is soliciting applications from a broad range of court stakeholders, including court users, court staff, attorneys and justice partners, to join the Court’s new Local/Regional AntiBias Subcommittee (Subcommittee), Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner announced today. The Subcommittee was established to support the Court’s newly-formed Anti-Bias Committee (Committee) by identifying and addressing concerns of bias in the judicial system and assisting in the design and implementation of educational programs and policies to promote fairness and impartiality.

“The Superior Court of Los Angeles County must endeavor to eliminate all forms of bias – substantive and in appearance – in order to protect the fair administration of justice for all court users,” Presiding Judge Jessner said. “The creation of the Local/Regional Subcommittee will enable the Court’s Anti-Bias Committee to collaborate and coordinate with a broad range of diverse stakeholders – with first-hand court user experience – to support and sponsor innovative initiatives, training and educational programming to address bias in all forms. This is a unique opportunity for members of our community who are interested in positively contributing to the Court’s mission of providing fair and equal access to justice. I encourage all those interested to apply.”

The Court is committed to ensuring court users’ interactions with the justice system, whether in courtrooms or Clerk’s Offices, are fair and impartial. To support this goal, and in compliance with Standard 10.20 of the Standards of Judicial Administration, the Court recently created the Committee, comprising a diverse group of judicial officers and select members of court administration, to ensure court business is conducted fairly and impartially, regardless of age, religion, ancestry, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, military or veteran status, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, and any other classification protected by federal or state law.

In support of and in conjunction with the Committee, the Subcommittee will collaborate with justice partners, bar associations, and other stakeholders to:

• Develop initiatives designed to eliminate unconscious and explicit biases within the Court and legal community;
• Engage in outreach to local communities to learn about issues of importance to court users; and
• Recommend educational programs.

Interested court users, members of the legal community, and court staff are encouraged to apply by filling out this application. Applications must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on February 28 to be considered.

“We are soliciting community members to join the Subcommittee to make certain we identify concerns about bias in the Court and to work together to address them accordingly,” Anti-Bias Committee Chair Judge Esther P. Kim said. “We are looking forward to reviewing the applications and assembling a Local/Regional Anti-Bias Subcommittee that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve.”

For information on the Court’s current programs and services, follow the Court on X, formerly known as Twitter (@LASuperiorCourt) and visit the Court’s website, www.lacourt.org.

You can view the full notice here.