Young: Signs of progress as ‘Strange Fruit’ resonates
The relevance of “Strange Fruit” today is disconcerting, but signs are popping up pointing us toward justice. Will we follow them?
Diversity
Articles
For Sikhs, FedEx tragedy leaves familiar fears
Four of the eight people killed April 15 at the FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis were Sikhs. Members of that community are calling for a comprehensive and transparent investigation, possibly involving the U.S. Department of Justice.
Evansville attorney helps women engage in community through virtual nonprofit
Fulfilling a lifelong dream can be daunting, even unattainable. It can take years before someone takes steps toward fulfilling a goal set for themselves. But a young Evansville attorney is breaking walls and building new dreams daily, balancing both a legal practice and a female-focused not-for-profit organization.
IU names Pamela Whitten of Kennesaw State University new president
The Indiana University board of trustees voted Friday morning to name Pamela Whitten — the leader of fast-growing Kennesaw State University in Georgia — its 19th president, making her the first woman to lead the state’s largest university system.
Notre Dame law dean embraces admission practice others call ‘unnecessary, callous’
In response to criticism about its 2021 admission process, which has been dubbed by one social media user as the “seat deposit scandal,” Notre Dame Law School Dean G. Marcus Cole is calling the approach a success and praising the process as yielding an incoming class that is strongly committed to the institution.
Indiana House sends Lake, St. Joe judicial selection bill to Holcomb
Despite final pleas from Lake County Democratic lawmakers to kill a controversial judicial selection bill that one said treats their county and St. Joseph County “as stepchildren,” the Indiana House voted Wednesday to agree to Senate amendments, sending House Bill 1453 to Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Female judges encourage women to seek out the bench, become ‘seed planters’
Women who aspire to become judges need mentors and role models to help show the way. One longtime Indiana appellate judge shared the value of such encouragement that speaks to the experience of many female jurists: “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. That caused me to apply.”
Innovation needed to bridge patent diversity gap, attorneys say
A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in March seeks to quantify the lack of diversity among patent holders. The Inventor Diversity for Economic Advancement Act of 2021 — or IDEA Act — would require the USPTO to collect inventors’ demographic information, including race and gender.
IndyBar: Cleaning Our Own House — EDI Work Begins at Home at the IndyBar
When racial disparity and inequality came to a head in Summer 2020, it quickly became obvious that the association had a responsibility to respond and to act on the many long-standing contributing structural issues present not only throughout the country but here at home in the Indianapolis community as well.
Steele appointed to St. Joe bench after lawsuit delayed selection process
The South Bend city attorney has been selected to fill a vacancy on the St. Joseph Superior Court. Stephanie Steele will fill the seat vacated by now-Senior Judge Jane Woodward Miller, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday.
Indiana Bar Foundation launches mock trial diversity program
The Indiana Bar Foundation, with the support of several major law firms, has launched a diversity initiative designed to remove financial barriers that can prevent high school students from participating in mock trial programs.
Garcia sworn in as Indiana Southern District magistrate judge
The first Hispanic judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has officially taken his seat on the bench.
Justices uphold FCC’s easing of local media ownership limits
The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday unanimously upheld federal regulators’ decision to ease ownership limits on local media, rejecting a claim that the change would hurt minority and female ownership.
Open federal judiciary seats bring calls to focus on the process
As he marked the two-month anniversary of his presidency, Joe Biden had not nominated anyone to either the federal bench or a U.S. Attorney’s Office, which distinguished him from his two most recent predecessors. One retired member of Indiana’s judiciary, however, is calling attention to the worrisome problem that beyond open positions, the state has no clearly defined process for identifying qualified Hoosiers to fill the vacancies.
Men, women offer gender equity insights in ABA report
A new report from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession is sparking conversations in the workplace about how male colleagues can become allies in the ongoing journey to reach gender equity in the legal profession.
IndyBar Board Approves Racial Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Commission Report and Recommendations
The Indianapolis Bar Association recognizes that equality, diversity and inclusion impact all aspects of work among members of the IndyBar, within the practice of law and within the communities where we live and work. The association, through its actions and those of its members, seeks to be instrumental in creating a more equitable, diverse and inclusive society.
Biden announces diverse first slate of judicial nominees, including 7th Circuit nomination
President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate a “trailblazing slate” of judicial nominees, a field that includes Black, Muslim American and Asian American Pacific Islander candidates for federal courts and for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Senate panel narrowly advances Lake, St. Joe judicial nominating bill
A bill that would change how superior court judges are nominated in Lake and St. Joseph counties was uniformly opposed by lawyers and judges from those counties in a Senate hearing Wednesday but narrowly advanced on a 5-4 vote.
Pratt named Indiana Southern District Court chief judge
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has been named the new chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the court announced Monday, making history as the first person of color to lead the court.
Bill extending full faith and credit to tribal orders heads to full Senate
A bill to extend full faith and credit to tribal court orders from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is headed to the Indiana Senate after a committee gave unanimous support to the legislation.