Judicial Elections Erode Diversity on the Bench

A new report shows that minority candidates have a harder time holding onto judicial seats than white justices.

By Pema Levy, Mother Jones

In 2002, Texas Supreme Court Justice Xavier Rodriguez, a Republican, lost his seat on the bench to a white lawyer named Steven Wayne Smith. Smith, a fellow Republican who made a name for himself fighting affirmative action at the University of Texas, suggested that Rodriguez had been "underqualified" for his undergraduate education at Harvard. The Houston Chronicle reported that Smith decided to take on Rodriguez because "he thought a Hispanic wouldn't do well in the Republican primary."

Read the story here.

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• ADVISORY: Discussion on Judicial Elections, Judges of Color, and Diversity on the Bench Will Feature Keynote by Rep. Butterfield (Center for American Progress)
• RELEASE: Lack of Diversity in Nation’s Courts Tied to Judicial Elections; Hinders Fairness in Judiciary, Per New CAP Report (Center for American Progress)