Wisconsin Judges Call For More Diversity In Legal Profession

More than two dozen Wisconsin appellate court judges, including two sitting justices on the state Supreme Court, are calling for combating racism and increasing diversity in the legal profession.

The open letter released Friday follows similar pleas by state Supreme Court justices and appellate court judges in other states in the wake of George Floyd’s killing by Minneapolis police and the protests that followed calling for law enforcement reforms and racial justice.

Those who signed the letter include Supreme Court justices Ann Walsh Bradley and Rebecca Dallet; incoming Justice Jill Karofsky; former Supreme Court justices Louis Butler and Janine Geske, the Star Tribune reports.

The Wisconsin judges say they recognized ongoing injustices in the legal system and systematic barriers that prevent justice. They called for acknowledging implicit biases and prejudices and seeing how they affect office and courtroom interactions.