Recent events have highlighted the need for critical change in our justice system. Barriers to diversity impede that change and must be dismantled. The CJI/CBA Diversity on the Bench Initiative was created in the fall of 2019 and exists to create an atmosphere for immediate and demonstrable change in the Colorado Judicial System.
The initiative has been working toward a judiciary whose makeup reflects the populations they serve. Initially, the focus is on those counties where African-American and Latinx populations warrant a more diverse bench, including Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, El Paso, and Pueblo.
Governor Jared Polis' 2020 and 2021 appointments to the bench give us hope that the coalition is having an impact.
