On March 3, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Caperton v. Massey. The nine justices engaged in a spirited exchange with the petitioner's attorney, Ted Olson, and the respondent's attorney, Andrew Frey. The Justice Center's Standing Committee on Judicial Independence ("SCJI") was instrumental in filing the ABA's amicus brief on behalf of the petitioner in Caperton v. Massey. The facts surrounding this case spawned John Grisham’s “The Appeal.”
Doreen D. Dodson, immediate past Chair of SCJI, spoke at the Section of Litigation 2009 Winter Leadership meeting in Scottsdale, AZ on January 9, along with retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and ABA President Tommy Wells. Dodson spoke about the progress of the Judicial Disqualification Project and Caperton v. Massey.
On January 26, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor quoted the ABA amicus brief in Caperton v. Massey during her luncheon address to the Conference of Chief Justices at their Midyear Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. She quoted from the ABA brief as she addressed the importance of judicial independence.
The Judicial Division Standing Committee on Minorities in the Judiciary has released the Fourth Edition of the Directory of Minority Judges in the United States. The only publication of its kind, the Directory serves as an excellent resource for faculty and students in colleges and universities, and others interested in a diverse judiciary. Included in the Directory is an aggregate listing of over 4,000 racial and ethnic minority judges and judicial officers. 
