They do NOT represent the makeup of the country they live in and preside over….
State supreme court justices are disproportionately White and don’t reflect the diverse populations they serve, a new report has found.
According to statistics released by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law, only 20% of justices are people of color despite Black, Latino, Asian American, Native American and multiracial people making up 40% of the US population.
Additionally, the study found that in 18 states, all state supreme court justices were White. In 24 states, there were no Black state supreme court justices; in 40 states plus Washington, DC, there were no Latino state supreme court justices, 42 states had no Asian American state supreme court justices; and 47 states plus Washington, DC, had no Native American state supreme court justices.
Women are also underrepresented on state supreme court benches. Men, the report says, hold 58% of the seats. In six states, there is only one female supreme court justice.
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