Michigan Journal of Race and Law Volume 10 2004 Toward an Understanding of Judicial Diversity in American Courts Barbara L. Graham University of Missouri - St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl Part of the Courts Commons, Judges Commons, Law and Race Commons, and the Law and Society Commons Recommended Citation Barbara L. Graham, Toward an Understanding of Judicial Diversity in American Courts, 10 MICH. J. RACE & L. 153 (2004). Available at: https://repository.law.umich.edu/mjrl/vol10/iss1/5 This Symposium Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Michigan Journal of Race and Law by an authorized editor of University of Michigan Law School Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF JUDICIAL DIVERSITY IN AMERICAN COURTS BarbaraL. Graham* IN TRO D U C T IO N ........................................................................ 153 I. UNDERSTANDING JUDICIAL DIVERSITY .................................... 158 II. JUDICIAL DIVERSITY AND THE FEDERAL BENCH ....................... 161 A. Article III Courts andJudicial Diversity .......................... 162 B. Article I Courts andJudicial Diversity............................ 164 C. Judicial Diversity and Federal Executive Agency Judgeships ... 168 D. Summary Analysis of Federal Court Diversity................... 169 III. JUDICIAL DIVERSITY AND THE STATE BENCH ............................ 171 C O N C LU SIO N ............................................................................. 179 A PPE N D IX .................................................................................... 181 INTRODUCTION The lack of racial and ethnic diversity at the capstone of the legal pro- fession, the judiciary, is one of the most compelling and contentious issues surrounding judicial selection in the United States.