Diversity of State's Bench Just Average

by Rachel Glas

Women Judges
	percent
Vermont	40
Hawaii, Montana, Rhode Island	34
Nevada, New York, South Carolina, Washington	30
California	28
U.S. average	26
Texas	25
Mississippi	17
South Dakota	13
Idaho	11
Source: 2010 Representation of United States State Court Women Judges, www.nawj.org

Despite its reputation for encouraging diversity, California's record of putting female judges on the bench is barely above average, according to the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ). Women make up 34 percent of the State Bar's membership but only 28 percent of California's 1,774 judges--putting the state behind others such as Vermont, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Montana. But California's numbers may yet improve.

Thanks to mentoring programs, seminars, and outreach efforts by groups founded by California's female judges, the percentage of women presiding over the state's courts has risen in the past three decades, says Orange County Superior Court Judge Marjorie Laird Carter, who is president of the NAWJ. "These organizations have demystified the process of becoming a judge and helped interested women get involved and informed," she says.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also did his part. In his final year in office, 40 percent of his judicial appointments were women, the most in state history.

---