Justice For All: Perceptions of Racial and Ethnic Bias in Our Courts
Introductions and Remaks of ABA President Tommy Wells
& Panel I: Decisionmaker Bias
- Mark Curriden, Director of Communications for Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., Dallas, TX
- Daniel Shuman, M.D. Anderson Foundation Endowed Professor of Health Law, SMU Deadman School of Law, Dallas, TX
- Michael B. Hyman, Cook County Circuit Court Judge, Chicago, IL
- Pat Chew, Professor of Law, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
- John Creuzot, Dallas County Judge, Criminal District Court No. 4, Dallas, TX
Panel II: Prosecutorial Discretion
- D. Aaron Lacy, Associate Professor of Law, SMU Deadman School of Law
- Craig Watkins, Dallas County District Attorney, Dallas, TX
- Tracey Meares, Dallas County District Attorney, Dallas, TX
- C. Darnell Jones III, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Panel III: Issues of Interpretation/Cultural Conflict
- George Martinez, Professor of Law, SMU Deadman School of Law, Dallas, TX
- Christopher David Ruiz Cameron, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School, Los Angeles, CA
- Ramona G. See, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Los Angeles, CA
- Dennis W. Archer, Former ABA President and Member, Dickinson Wright PLLC, Detroit, MI
About
Although strides have been and are being made in realizing the American Dream of equality in our system of justice, we certainly have a long way to go. This symposium explored perceptions of racial and ethnic bias that impede a belief in fair and equal treatment in our courts. The attendees were welcomed by ABA President Tommy Wells and the keynote speech was delivered by former ABA President Dennis Archer. Three panels of distinguished academics, judges, and attorneys will addressed the presence and impact of bias among judges and juries, whether racial and ethnic bias infects the exercise of discretion by prosecutors, and how language and cultural differences impact experiences and outcomes in litigation.
This program was held at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist Univesity on Tuesday, April 7, 2009.
