A new study out of Tulane finds that Louisiana is making slow progress in electing minorities and women to judgeships. Professor of Political Science Sally Kenney says racial minorities are 36% of the state’s population, but non-white judges were only at 22 percent. She says women judges comprised less than 32 percent of all state and federal judges in Louisiana.
Kenney says there has been a gradual increase, but it’s up to citizens to commit to equal justice under the law and keep vigilant that this progress is not reversed. She says another concern is that Louisiana’s minorities and women judges are serving in certain areas, like Orleans.
The study finds that in 1992, non-white judges held 22.6% of the district court positions, a number that barely moved in 2017 when it was 23.9%. Kenney says she’s also concerned that President Trump’s nominees to the federal bench in Louisiana and the US have been 91% white men.