April 28, 2016 Honorable Christopher J. Christie, Governor Senator Steven M, Sweeney Office of the Governor of the State of New Jersey 935 Kings Highway 125 West State Street Suite 400 P.O, Box 001 West Deptford, NJ 08086 Trenton, New Jersey 08625 Re: Diversity in the New Jersey Judiciary Dear Governor Christie and Senator Sweeney: ‘The undersigned organizations write in response to the recent series of judicial nominations to the New Jersey Supreme Court and to address the continuing need for a diverse judiciary in New Jersey. We join together to express our frustration with the lack of diversity throughout the New Jersey judiciary and the current composition of the New Jersey Supreme Court. New Jersey has taken a step backward.' The Governor and the Legislature must do more to work together towards a more diverse bench at all levels of the judiciary. Our Courts should be representative of the demographics of the litigants in their jurisdictions seeking assistance and justice. Over 46% of New Jersey’s population is racially or ethnically diverse,” and women represent more than half of our population.’ A huge gap currently exists between the number of diverse judges in New Jersey and the overall diverse population of our State. ‘That gap grows more pronounced every year as the diversity of New Jersey’s population grows at a rate that far outpaces the diversity of its judiciary. ‘The benefits of a diverse bench are obvious, A judiciary comprised of judges from different backgrounds and experiences leads to an exchange of different ideas and points of view. A diverse judiciary helps combat unintended and institutional bias. Differences of opinion among judges encourage debate and reflection. Diversity fosters a more informed deliberative process. A judiciary reflective of the citizenry it represents enhances the legitimacy of the judicial system in the eyes of @ diverse public. Conversely, our demographically imbalanced legal system creates a risk that the public could lose confidence in judges to treat them fairly and impartially. " tn 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court had 3 women, 1 Hispanic and 1 African-American justice on the bench. With the potential addition of Governor Christie's new nominee, the New Jersey Supreme Court will only have 2 women and 1 Hispanic on the bench in 2016, ® According to July 1, 2014 data from the United States Census Bureau, New Jersey residents are comprised of the following diverse percentages: Black or Aftiean American: 14.8%; American Indian and Alaska Native: 0.6%, Asian: 9.4%; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: 0.1%; Hispanic or Latino: 19.3%; and Two or More Races: 2.1%, Seo http:/lwww.census.gov/quickfactstable/RHI205210/34. * According to July 1, 2014 data from the United States Census Bureau, 51.2% of New Jersey residents are women,Page -2- ‘Today, there are numerous judicial vacancies throughout the State and looking ahead, vacancies in every county will continue to open in the years to come. Diverse candidates have been grossly underrepresented across the State for years and as such, we need to work together to do more to address the current gap that exists, Each of the undersigned organizations maintains lists of highly ‘qualified lawyers and judges who would be exceptional candidates for the New Jersey judiciary at all levels, Our organizations have worked and will continue to work directly with the Governor's office and the Legislature to foster awareness of these diverse judicial candidates. The undersigned organizations demand that qualified diverse judges are nominated and endorsed to fill judicial vacancies at all levels of the New Jersey judiciary. We call upon those we have elected into office to represent the interests of the entirety of New Jersey’s diverse population and take action to prioritize creating a diverse judiciary. New Jersey’s minority population should not continue to be underserved and underrepresented. Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey heck. ‘Theodore K. Cheng President ‘The Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey fee ld — Steve Garry Hockaday President ‘The Garden State Bar Associ: Geraldine Eure President ‘The Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jerseyage -3- Rajeh A. Saadeh President ‘The New Jersey Muslim Lawyers Association Rishi K. De: \ i President The South Asian Bar Association of New Jersey cc: Matthew P. McDermott, Appointments Director Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Senator Nia H. Gill, Senate Judiciary Committee Vice Chair Senator Christopher Bateman Senator Gerald Cardinale Senator Michael J. Doherty Senator Joseph Kyrillos Senator Raymond J. Lesniak Senator Kevin J. O°Toole Senator Nellie Pou Senator Paul A. Sarlo Senator Bob Smith Senator Brian P. Stack Senator Loretta Weinberg