The Education Committee develops and sponsors education programs for judicial officers, court staff, and justice system partners with the goal to eliminate gender bias in the courts. All of our programs are focused on gender issues, whether they are known (such as domestic violence) or emerging (such as girls of color in the juvenile justice system). Under the gender umbrella, the Commission also includes issues such as treating transgender litigants with respect and fairness. When possible, GJC partners with other entities, like the Minority and Justice Commission, to put on programs that look at the intersection of gender and race and other biases.
Reproductive Rights in the Post-Dobbs Era
This previously recorded webinar hosted on March 21, 2024, during Women's History Month covers the history of reproductive rights in the United States, jurisprudence, the legal landscape post-Dobbs, extradition, the Full Faith and Credit Clause and Washington State's "Shield Law." Speakers included Professor Carol Sanger from Columbia Law School, Clark County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Rachael Rogers, Professor Jeff Feldman from University of Washington Law School and Senator Drew Hansen (D - Bainbridge Island). This program has been approved for 2 CLE Credits and 2 CJE Credits and was coordinated by the GJC's Communications Committee.
Life After Dobbs: What Lies Ahead
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overruled Roe v. Wade and shifted issues of reproductive rights to the states and Congress. While the intent in Dobbs may have been to extract the courts from the issue of abortion, it is unlikely to be the reality. Efforts by some states to protect rights that had been secured by Roe, and efforts by other states to further restrict access to abortion will trigger a tsunami of litigation in the courts and legislative activity. This 36-minute session addresses developments that have occurred since the Dobbs decision was issued, and that are likely to unfold in the months ahead. The session includes discussion of the pending cases in Washington and in Texas that raise challenges to the approval and regulation of Mifepristone, the principal drug used for medication abortions for the past 23 years.
The Address Confidentiality Program: Practical Information for Judicial Officers
This previously recorded webinar was sponsored by the Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission and was presented by Rozlyn Finfrock, Ret. Judge Anne Hirsch, and Colleen Overton. This approximately 45-minute presentation provides an overview of Washington's Address Confidentiality Program (ACP), including its history, program eligibility requirements, how the program works, and when you might encounter ACP participants in your courtroom.
This project was supported by Subgrant No. F22-31103-130 awarded by the state administering office for the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice's STOP Formula Grant Program. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the state or the U.S. Department of Justice.
Washington's New Protection Order Law: Chapter 7.105 RCW
This previously recorded webinar was sponsored by the Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission as part of the Superior Court Judges Association (SJCA) and District & Municipal Court Judges (DMCJA) Spring Programs, and was presented by Judge Jacqueline Shea-Brown of Benton/Franklin Counties Superior Court and Judge Charles Short of Okanogan County District Court. This 90-minute presentation provides a broad overview of changes made to the protection order process by E2SHB 1320 (2021) and SHB 1901 (2022), including definitions; jurisdiction and venue; filing, service; hearing procedures; duration, relief, and remedies; and orders to surrender and prohibit weapons.
