NCJ Number
91117
Journal
Judges' Journal Volume: 21 Issue: 4 Dated: (Fall 1982) Pages: 20-28,60-64
Date Published
1982
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article contends that although Federal courts are the guardians of equal employment opportunity, they have, until recently, paid little attention to their own employment practices. It describes the affirmative action plan being implemented since 1980 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Abstract
In accord with the affirmative action plan, the Ninth Circuit's Office of Staff Attorneys undertook rigorous recruitment efforts to attract minority applicants. It also reexamined its selection process to insure that applicants were evaluated on genuinely job-related criteria and that racial diversity was considered along with other diversity factors. Although no quotas or timetables were set, by October 1982, minority attorneys represented 22.6 percent of the Ninth Circuit's central legal staff. This is far more than the 9.5 percent representation among legal professional staff in all Federal courts of appeals combined and the 6.8 percent representation among all legal professional staff in the Federal judiciary as of June 1981. A detailed examination of the techniques practiced in the Ninth Circuit is presented to help advance affirmative action in other courts. Tabular data and 40 footnotes are provided.