Procedural Fairness Can Guide Court Leaders

Authors

Kevin S. Burke

Date of this Version

2020

Document Type

Article

Citation

Court Review - Volume 56

Comments

Used by permission.

Abstract

Former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan once said what the people want is an America as good as its promise. Courts play a vital role in achieving that promise. Being a court leader is not always easy, but it is a privilege and gives the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives: the people with whom you work and the people courts serve. Studies of the courts show that although the objective quality of the justice system has improved over recent decades, those improvements have not been matched by significantly higher levels of trust and confidence. This is especially true of minority group members. So, to achieve a justice system as good as the American promise, more is needed. We need remarkably good court leadership.