Keywords

Diversity, impartiality, underrepresented, and diverse judiciary.

Abstract

Diversity in the judiciary is essential to ensure impartiality, public confidence, and the perception that all members of society are represented on the bench. Minorities and women are significantly underrepresented as judges in Florida in proportion to their numbers in the general population. Because we live in an increasingly global world, diversity is best described when people of different races, colors, ethnicity and genders work to develop a mutual respect for each other. It was important to use diversity in this research because it required recognition, understanding, and acceptance of the special contribution that each member of a group can make. The documentation review method was used to measure the data collected in this research. The advantages for using this method were first, to obtain comprehensive and historical information that already exists and secondly, to obtain data which demonstrates few biases about the information. I used correlation as a non-experimental, description method because the variables are not directly manipulated, as they would be if used in an experimental method. This method of research is really more of a mathematical technique for summarizing data. This study was designed to determine the degree and direction of relationship between two or more variables or measures of behavior. Diversity in 2004 judicial appointments is a high priority in Florida's present administration. Their goal is to have a judicial system composed of judges who reflect the people they serve. Since judges have so much influence over the lives of people of the state, it is important that all Floridians perceive the judiciary legitimate. Having a diverse judiciary serves the goal. The Bush/Jennings team appointed; 1) the first African American woman, Judge Peggy Quince to the Florida Supreme Court (with the agreement of Governor Lawton Chiles); 2) minorities to 53 judicial positions including the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice Raoul Cantero to the Supreme Court; 3) 26 African American, 26 Hispanics, 1 other); 4) women to 66 judicial position; and, 5) the first Haitian-American judge, Judge Fred Seraphin to the Miami Dade County Court. The judicial system has an obligation to provide equal opportunity to the extent that females, minorities, and people of color have the temperament, the legal educational background, the skills, and the abilities necessary to sit on Florida's bench. The legal profession also has an obligation to encourage more minorities and women to consider a career in law. The governor's most recent selections indicate that he is serious about improving diversity on the Florida bench.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2004

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Handberg, Roger

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Political Science

Degree Program

Political Science

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0000206

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0000206

Language

English

Release Date

December 2004

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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