• encouraging CAC membership that is representative of varied and diverse professionals in each Circuit ;
• requiring that Regents ’ periodic reports regarding the nominations process include a description of specific efforts to identify varied and diverse professionals as candidates for Fellowship ;
• encouraging each CAC member to identify and bring forward for consideration a nominee in the current year or a potential future nominee a future year a person who is a diverse individual ;
• encouraging the establishment of a “ pipeline ” of potential nominees , subject to annual supplementation , with special notation of diverse candidates ; and
• emphasizing the importance of Regents , CAC members , and all Fellows functioning as DEI “ allyship leaders ,” especially in mentorship and networking initiatives . Importantly , the Committee concluded that the College ’ s existing nominations and selection process were fundamentally sound in many respects , and the Committee thus did not recommend any formal DEIrelated by-law or other changes to the College ’ s governance . The Committee also agreed unanimously that the College should neither lower or otherwise modify the existing extremely high standards for admission to the College nor establish quotas or “ targets ” for the number or percentage of diverse Fellows in the College ( generally or in future classes ). The Committee ( and , ultimately , the Board of Directors ) unanimously concluded , however , that a number of improvements to existing processes could be made . Accordingly , the Board adopted the Working Principles at the College ’ s semi-annual meeting in October in Austin .
Development of DEI Training for College Fellows . In April 2022 , the College ’ s Board
of Directors also adopted a resolution requiring that all College Leadership and new Fellows undergo training approved by the DEI Committee . The Committee quickly concluded , however , that simply utilizing training modules developed by third parties , such as outside professional services firms , might be unavailing .
Instead , the DEI Committee is in the process of developing College-specific training programs regarding the implementation of our diversity , equity , and inclusion mission . The first such program will be conducted and made available to all Fellows at the College ’ s induction ceremony weekend and annual meeting in March 2024 in Washington , D . C . The panel will be moderated by Dr . Arin Reeves , a nationally recognized and widely admired expert in diversity and inclusion , and the panelists will include four longtime Fellows with wide experience in the practical implications of our DEI efforts in the College generally . If you will be joining us in Washington , please plan to attend this dynamic program !
Annual DEI Excellence Award . In 2022 , the College presented its inaugural Diversity , Equity , and Inclusion Annual Award to Judges Jeffrey Hopkins and Laurel Isicoff , who co-chaired in initial Select Commission on Diversity , Equity , and Inclusion and pioneered the College ’ s DEI efforts . At the All Fellows Luncheon during our October meetings in Austin , we were delighted to present the 2023 DEI Excellence Award to Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization ( JTB ).
JTB began as a celebration of the integration of the federal judiciary , which occurred in 1949 when President Harry S . Truman made the first lifetime appointment of an African-American , Judge William Hastie , to the United States Court of
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