Uncategorized

January 28, 2010

State’s chief justice to speak at UW law school

Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen will meet with students at the UW School of Law from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29 in 133 William H. Gates Hall to discuss the work of the court’s Gender and Justice Commission. Madsen, who was recently sworn in as the 55th chief justice of the state’s highest court following the retirement of Gerry Alexander, has served as chair of the commission since 1999.

The Gender and Justice Commission promotes gender equality in the system of law and justice through:

• Sharing collective implementation about gender equity issues with all levels of state court, the legal profession, law enforcement, the educational community, and the public at large
  
• Offering educational programs and examining court practices to ensure that gender bias plays no part in the treatment of parties attorneys and court employees, and that gender bias plays no part in the judicial decision making process
  
• Serving as liaison between the courts and other organizations which share the Commission’s commitment to gender equality in the courts in order to identify gender equality issues and to deal with them effectively
  
• Cooperating and coordinating with national and regional gender and justice programs, networks, committees, task forces and commissions for purposes of developing and offering effective judicial education programs, and developing research projects and sharing ideas
  
• Communicating the mission, goals, and developing project of the Commission and the courts to the legal and judicial community and to the public at large.