In Washington State, our members face the effects of racism on a daily basis and tirelessly work to defuse and minimize its negative impact on our clients. Institutional racism is so persuasive it rendered the death penalty unconstitutional in State v. Gregory, 192 Wash.2d 1 427 P.3d 621 2018. Likewise, prosecutorial misconduct in forms of racially charged offensive language in PowerPoints in State v. Walker, 182 Wn.2d 463, 341 P.3d 976 (2015), and prosecutors using racially charged language to jurors as a blatant attempt to appeal to jurors racial prejudice in State v. Monday, 171 Wash.2d 667, 257 P.3d 551 (2011), have resulted in verdicts being overturned. We know that these biases when left unaddressed can negatively impact our relationships with clients, professional performance, and legal outcomes
In recent years, WDA has focused numerous training sessions and our internal organizational work on advancing racial equity. We will continue this work and call upon all our members to join us in the equity work that is being led at many levels: individual, organizational/institutional, community and structural. Our recent trainings that may assist you in these important efforts include:
- 2019 at the Leadership Development with Addressing Bias and Interrupting Racism and Oppression to Advance Equity and Justice Work and presenters such as Ilham Askia from Gideon’s Promise to raise awareness of systemic racism that is a disease in our court system.
- Public Defenders – Frontline Advocates for Racial Justice: Ethical Representation in a Racially Biased System.
- Advice from a Justice: Defender’s Ethical Obligations when Making a Record for Appeal, Race and Gender Bias in Our Courts, and Other Hot Topics.
- Using Race Related Data to Achieve Just Outcomes
- Litigating Racial Bias: A Legal Primer
- Better than Batson: Using New General Rule 37 in Jury Selection
- I Don’t Know Why She Swallowed A Fly: Changing the Narrative of Representation and Justice Reform,
- Litigating Racial Bias: A Legal Primer
- Better than Batson: Using New General Rule 37 in Jury Selection
- Protecting Your Client’s Civil Rights Inside and Outside of the Courtroom.
- Re-Envisioning Criminal Justice: Innovative Community Driven Partnerships and Pre-Trial Diversion Programs.
- Protecting Your Client’s Civil Rights Inside and Outside of the Courtroom.
- Race, Class and Culture Matters: Practical Strategies to Ethically and Effectively Challenge Bias in the Criminal Justice System.
- Jury Rigged: Strategies and Updates on Batson Issues, Jury Diversity, and Jury Bias,
- Litigating Race in 2016. (no video currently available)
- Transcending Race, Class and Culture on Capital Defense Teams. (no video currently available)
Here are links to other organizations who have joined this call to action and more information about the racial disparity in our criminal system.
- Information about race and the criminal system across the United States and Washington State:
Washington Race Equity & Justice Initiative
Preliminary Report on Race and Washington’s Criminal Justice System
Washington Supreme Court Letter Addressing George Floyd
- Statements of Solidarity from Organizations in Washington State and across the United States:
Colorado Juvenile Defender Center
Joint New York City Defender Statement
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Juvenile Defender Center
National Legal Aid & Defense Association
Washington Race Equity & Justice Initiative
Korean American Bar Association
Filipino Lawyers of Washington