Those who have vowed to uphold the Constitution must take action to improve the justice system.
“Those of us who have taken the oath to uphold the Constitution, and who have devoted ourselves to the rule of law, have a special obligation to lead efforts to end the racial bias and to root out racial injustice. Recently, the American Bar Association and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund have held a series of conversations focused on ridding the criminal justice system of the vestiges of racism that threaten the promise of equal justice.”
“We have concluded that it is time to move beyond just talking and start taking concrete steps. If we wish to preserve public confidence in the rule of law, the leaders in our profession must play a public role and take a forceful action aimed at eliminating racial bias and inequity from our justice system.”
“Those with responsibility for the criminal justice system have a special role to play in identifying how racial bias — both overt and unconscious — continues to affect the way communities are policed, crimes are prosecuted and individuals are sentenced.”
Read the joint Op-Ed in the National Law Journal here.
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Sherrilyn Ifill is President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (“LDF”).
William C. Hubbard is President of the American Bar Association.
