BALIF Judiciary 2.0 launched !

In this first week of October, as the justices of the United States Supreme Court begin a new term, we are excited to announce that BALIF has kicked off a very ambitious work plan for BALIF's Judiciary Committee this coming year. Our Judiciary Committee has long served as a key endorsement mechanism for LGBT candidates seeking positions on the federal and state judiciary. The Committee's new work plan is to supplement these efforts with a series of new initiatives that are designed to identify qualified LGBT judicial candidates, and to support and groom those candidates for successful appointment to the bench.

The Judiciary Committee had quite a busy summer. We reformulated the Committee's goals and work plan for the year; recruited a brand new committee, bringing on a total of 17 committee members, and establishing 10 subcommittees spearheaded by the committee.

The Committee's new strategic goals for the year are: establish ties with the Minority Bars Judiciary Committees to share intelligence and efforts regarding judicial appointments; establish connections to other CA state, out of state, and national LGBT judiciary committees regarding judicial appointments of LGBT candidates; establish connection to the Governor's Office; work to place LGBT / BALIF members on Bay Area county judiciary committees such as BASF Judiciary Committee; Alameda Judiciary Committee; San Mateo, Santa Clara; establish an LGBT Judges Council to advise our Committee and mentor our judicial candidates; establish an Advisors Council composed of senior LGBT attorneys from our community to build a pipeline and mentor our community for the bench; kick off a summit of LGBT Judges in the Bay Area, Advisors Council, and LGBT judiciary committees; revisit the feasibility of the BALIF plebiscite while continuing the important work of the BALIF endorsement process; and establish a Media Plan & Campaign for awareness of LGBT Judiciary issues.

In an effort to bring attention to the need for more LGBT diversification in judicial appointments, in July, BALIF and AABA co-sponsored a historic -- "Shattering the Judicial LGBT Glass Ceiling" Event, at Orrick featuring out LGBT jurists: Justice Rives Kistler (Oregon Supreme Court); Justice Sabrina McKenna (Hawaii Supreme Court); Justice Barbara Lenk (Massachusetts Supreme Court); and Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu (N.D. California). We had over 100 attendees at the standing room only event.

It's going to be quite an ambitious and busy upcoming year!


Andrew Vu & Elizabeth Pritzker
BALIF Judiciary Committee Co-Chairs