Gender and Justice Commission

1994-1995 Annual Report

Justice Richard P. Guy,
Washington State Supreme Court, Chair

Judge Faye Kennedy,
Court of Appeals, Division I, Vice-Chair

Gloria C. Hemmen,
Office of the Administrator
for the Courts, Project Coordinator

The Gender and Justice Implementation Commission was established in 1994 to continue the work of the Gender and Justice Task Force and Implementation Committees.

GENDER BIAS EDUCATION ATTITUDE AWARENESS

Co-sponsor two Gender Bias Seminars for State and Federal Court Judges, October 29, 1994, January 1995.

Sent a team of judges and judicial educators to the National Judicial College, Reno, for the three day workshop: Integrating Gender Issues into the Judicial Curriculum, 1995.

Initiated a Roundtable Discussion Group on Gender Bias and Women of Color.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE EDUCATION

Began updating the Domestic Violence Manuals for Judges: Vol. I - Criminal and Vol. II - Civil.

Distributed Domestic Violence Manuals and Family Law: Spousal Maintenance Manuals to new judges and commissioners attending the State Judicial College, 1994 and 1995.

Produced an original videotape: Domestic Violence - Challenges and Solutions in Washington State, 1995.

Coordinated the Domestic Violence Summit, 1995. This one day meeting of state leaders, co-sponsored by Chief Justice Barbara Durham and State attorney General Christine Gregoire, focused on developing action plans to address the problem of family violence. Produced a follow-up report, which includes the action plans devised by individual conference participants.

LIAISONS

Establish liaisons with the Washington State Bar Association Access to Justice Board: the Superior Court Judges' Association Equality and Fairness Committee, the District and Municipal Court Judges' Association Diversity Committee; and the Washington State Minority and Justice Commission.

Continued quarterly conference calls with representatives of the District 13, Second National Gender Bias Conference (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska).