Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
Overall Excellence > Multi-Platform Package of the Year

Title of entry: 
Color of Justice: All-White Benches Persist in US District Courts

Issue or Publication date:
Sept. 5, 2023

Publication name: 
Bloomberg Law

Publishing/parent company: 
Bloomberg Industry Group

View Website home page:
https://news.bloomberglaw.com

Description of the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

Judiciary reporter Tiana Headley noticed that the proportion of Black judges in the federal judiciary had reached rough parity with the overall US Black population. But what about at the individual court level? Data reporter Nicole Sadek overlayed census and judicial demographic data to identify the roughly 25% of federal district courts that have never had a non-white judge. Tiana and video producer Andrew Satter went on a reporting trip to Georgia. Tiana’s article offers a rich narrative full of telling details. Andrew’s video blended interviews, take-you-there footage of the region, thoughtful historical analysis, and snappy motion graphics.

Podcast producer David Schultz featured Tiana and Andrew on an episode of our podcast series, On the Merits, allowing them to discuss further their findings.

The story was a hiding-in-plain-sight exclusive that affirmed what many suspected but never said out loud. It landed days after Biden missed a chance to diversify a non-white district but many more loom. Among the reactions was a note from the Rhode Island chief district judge, who wrote: Great story today exposing the lack of diversity in certain district courts (including mine!).

Bloomberg Law serves professionals, mainly lawyers, but also including tax practitioners, lobbyists, corporate executives, labor union officials, consultants, government managers, members or Congress, and congressional staff. In addition, much of our content exists outside our paywall and, through social media and other channels, reaches a wider audience. This story in particular circulated widely, which is important since its impact is broad and significant.

Links to entry URLs

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
Please enter a URL that will direct judges to the entry: 
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/color-of-justice-all-white-benches-persist-in-us-district-courts
Additional URLs, if needed:
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/why-hasnt-there-been-a-black-judge-in-georgias-southern-district
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/many-federal-courts-have-never-had-a-black-judge-podcast?context=search&index=0