America’s state supreme courts, including Pa., have a diversity problem | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Good Tuesday #GoodTuesday
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
State Supreme Courts wield tremendous power, serving as the state court of last resort on a host of issues such as voting rights and gun violence reduction.
But in nearly half of all states, people of color are unlikely to see someone who looks like them sitting in judgment on those critical issues, but there’s been some progress, according to a new report by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Since its last nationwide pulse-taking in April 2021, 25 new justices have taken office nationwide. Fifteen of the 25 new justices were women; 10 were people of color, and seven were women of color, according to the report. And two states, Maine and Vermont, swore in the first justices of color in their respective states’ history.
Even so, disparities remain.
In 20 states, none of the sitting justices identify as people of color, including 12 states where people of color make up at least 20 percent of those states’ respective populations, according to the Brennan Center.
Pennsylvania’s seven-member Supreme Court, which has a progressive majority, does not have a sitting justice who is Black, putting it in the company of six states without a Black justice, even though Black people make up at least 10 percent of those states’ respective populations.
Digging deeper, the report found there are:
And:
The current membership of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court (Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts).
Overall, the demographics of state high courts have remained “relatively consistent,” the new Brennan Center research found.
Nationwide, the percentage of justices of color ticked slightly upward to 18 percent from 17 percent in April 2021, while the percentage of women justices also climbed from 39 percent to 41 percent, according to the Brennan Center.
This year, “40 percent (10 out of 25) of new justices are people of color, an increase from last year, when 27 percent (11 out of 41) of new justices were people of color,” according to the Brennan Center.
Meanwhile, 14 of the new justices, or 56 percent, come to the bench with previous experience as prosecutors, while only two have experience working as public defenders. And two have experience working in civil legal services, according to the Brennan Center.
In all, “the proportion of new justices with prosecutorial backgrounds is substantially higher than the 39 percent of all state supreme court justices who have experience as prosecutors,” the report concluded.
Gov. Tom Wolf delivers his final budget address to a joint session of the state House and Senate on Tuesday, 2/8/22 (Commonwealth Media Services photo).
Our Stuff.As budget season approaches, financial experts say COVID relief funds should be reserved for one-time uses, our partners at City & State Pa. report this morning.
Opening Pa.’s primaries to independent voters is the “right and smart thing to do,” voting rights advocate David Thornburgh said during a Monday speech before the Pennsylvania Press Club, I report.
Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell will leave his position on July 2, ending a six-year tenure at the helm of the agency, and a 25-year career with the state, Gov. Tom Wolf’s office said Monday. Cassie Miller has the story.
Philadelphia City Council has approved a bill allowing the city’s Public Safety Enforcement officers to ticket and tow abandoned cars on the city’s streets, taking the job out of the hands of city police, our partners at the Philadelphia Tribune report.
With his wife at the center of the furor over the Big Lie, debating when U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should recuse himself is the wrong argument, opinion regular Bruce Ledewitz writes. And the story of Oney Judge is one every American should know, and one Hollywood should turn into a movie right away, opinion regular Michael Coard writes.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, speaks at a Capitol steps rally in Harrisburg on June 5, 2021. (Capital-Star photo by Stephen Caruso)
Elsewhere.Democrats are out with ads attacking GOP gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano on abortion, the Inquirer reports.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick filed suit late Monday to ensure that county election boards heed a federal appeals court ruling that could aid his cause, the Associated Press reports (via the Tribune-Review).
PoliticsPA runs down what you need to know about the coming recount in the U.S. Senate contest (See also: Capital-Star Staff Reporter Marley Parish’s story on the same topic).
Two Pennsylvania state Senate races remain tight; and officials in Northampton County say 380 undated mail-in ballots will count unless they hear otherwise from the state, the Morning Call reports.
The records of people convicted of rape, murder, and other offenses are being hidden from public view, PennLive reports.
In Philadelphia, local cycling grants will get help from the DA’s office through anti-violence grants, WHYY-FM reports.
In Pittsburgh, the Wolf administration called for more investment in advanced tech start-ups, WESA-FM reports.
Electricity rates for PPL’s residential customers will rise by 38 percent on June 1. LancasterOnline explains how to duck the increases.
A teacher from York County’s Central York school district died in a murder-suicide over the weekend, the York Daily Record reports.
A Luzerne County school district is moving ahead with plans to close a local elementary school, the Citizens’ Voice reports.
City & State Pa. has its list of the Pennsylvania power 100.
Here’s your #SuburbanPhiladelphia Instagram of the Day:
What Goes OnThe House comes in at 11 a.m. The Senate reconvenes at 1 p.m.10:45 a.m., Capitol Steps: Rally for Whole Home Repairs11 a.m., Main Rotunda: Rally to reform prior authorization12 p.m., Soldiers & Sailors Grove: Ceremony honoring service search & rescue dogs and their handlers12:15 p.m., Main Rotunda: Rally for Better Home Care12:30 p.m., Capitol Steps: Rally for Direct Care Workers1:45 p.m., Main Rotunda: National Federation of Independent Businesses on its spring agenda2 p.m., Capitol Steps: Rally for charter school reform in Philadelphia2:45 p.m., Main Rotunda: Teachers rally for better school funding
What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition)7:30 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Kathy Rapp8 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Keith Greiner8 a.m.: Breakfast for Rep. Kyle Mullins8:30 a.m.: Breakfast for Sen. Elder Vogel11:30 a.m: Luncheon for Sen. Judy Schwank12 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Frank Farry5 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Martina White5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Nick PisciottanoRide the circuit, and give at the max, and you’re out an absolutely offensive $17,000 today.
WolfWatchAs of this writing, Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today..
You Say It’s Your Birthday DeptBest wishes go out this morning to Shavonnia Corbin Johnson, at the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, who celebrates today. Congratulations and enjoy the day.
Heavy RotationThe first time I heard this track, I didn’t have my phone in front of me, and could have sworn it was a Kraftwerk tune I’d never heard before. Nope. As it turns out, it’s Nation of Language, and the tune is called ‘This Fractured Mind.’ But a Kraftwerk comparison can’t be a bad thing, right?
Tuesday’s Gratuitous Baseball LinkThe Baltimore Orioles beat the New York Yankees 6-4 on Monday in the Bronx. The last-place Os are 4-6 in their last 10 games, and have won their last two games.
And now you’re up to date.