Indiana Southern District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has joined a chorus of elation prompted by President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he intends to make good on his promise to appoint the first Black woman to the Supreme Court of the United States when Justice Stephen Breyer leaves the bench.
The Indiana legal community has recently launched a variety of initiatives focused on improving and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession.
The Tindley Law and Public Policy Institute has the ambitious goal of launching in the fall of 2022. Marion County Juvenile Judge Geoffrey Gaither is clear that he wants the initiative to become the premier law program for charter schools.
In this guest column, Indiana Lawyer invited us to discuss some of the initiatives occurring at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law that help recruit talented and diverse students.
President Joe Biden spent a recent flight aboard Air Force One reminiscing with lawmakers and aides about his start as a young lawyer in Delaware working as a public defender in the late 1960s. As Biden considers his first Supreme Court nominee, this lesser-known period in his biography could offer insight into the personal experience he brings to the decision.
Put yourself on the frontlines of change and make a difference in the lives of diverse students by participating as an employer or sponsor at the 2022 Diversity Job Fair.
Ice Miller has launched a new scholarship program focused on giving minority law students financial support and legal experience — an initiative the law firm’s attorneys say represents the next step in the effort to increase the diversity of the legal profession.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is wrapping up a toy and book drive focused on collecting 100 dolls of color and children’s books that celebrate the beauty of diversity.
Recently, the Indiana Supreme Court created the Indiana Commission on Equity and Access seeking to build trust and increase the average citizen’s ability to navigate the complicated legal system. These efforts not only are commendable, but they are also forcing an examination of uncomfortable issues while creating opportunities for rich discourse in settings that have in large part avoided these critical issues.
The issues the Hispanic community faces within Indiana’s legal system need to become a greater priority — and not just discussed during a 30-day time frame each year — according to Hispanic attorneys and judges from across the state.
Since the summer of 2020, the Indiana Supreme Court’s Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program has had many deep discussions about the issues that are affecting people of color and what the program can do to support law students, attorneys and judges of color, as well as others who care about these issues and want to be meaningful and proactive allies.
Indiana is welcoming a historic milestone as the first African American U.S. attorneys to serve in the Hoosier State were confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Thursday night.
For eight weeks this fall semester, 32 sophomores, juniors and seniors from Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis will have ample opportunity to learn about the law from attorneys with Katz Korin Cunningham and the Defense Trial Counsel of Indiana through a program designed to extend the pipeline into the legal profession further back.
Indianapolis lawyer Clayton Miller will be tasked with helping to implement the Indiana State Bar Association’s new strategic plan as president of the state bar, a position he’ll assume Oct. 15. Miller will also lead the bar through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and he wants to address other big-picture issues impacting Hoosier legal professionals.
Recent media reports have reflected an increasing trend of employers providing some form of critical race theory training in the workplace. CRT-focused trainings raise legal and practical issues in the employment context.
More than half of Indiana’s counties lost population during the last decade, according to U.S. Census figures released Thursday showing the state’s growth around Indianapolis and its other largest cities.
Although the next Court of Appeals judge has not been selected, the three candidates nominated ensure Indiana will continue its 9-year streak of judicial appointments that do not include a person of color.
Indiana Lawyer reporters and designers brought home 12 awards from the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual Best of Indiana Journalism Contest, including four top honors. The awards were announced Monday in a virtual ceremony.
Barnes & Thornburg is among the organizations conducting in-depth assessments to inform concrete steps toward change—whether that means rewriting job postings, making representation a must for candidate pools or boosting employee support systems.
Indiana’s three law school deans will be joining the Indiana State Bar Association’s continuing webinar series about race on Thursday, offering their perspectives and insights into issues related to education.