Attorney Eugene K. Pettis, of the Florida Bar Board of Governors drives a point home at the T.J. Reddick Bar Association press conference at the Broward County Courthouse on Friday. (L-R) Cherine Smith Valbrun, president of the Caribbean Bar Association and from T.J. Riddick, Ghenete Wright Muir, president-elect; Yohance Pettis, board member; Phyllis Williams Kotey, president and Sue-Ann Robinson, recording secretary – Photo by DavidiPhoto

Organizers of the event, the T.J. Reddick Bar Association, which represents black lawyers in Broward, in a statement said, “In the 2010 election cycle, all judges of Hispanic descent presently and most African-American judges face opposition,” adding that all the Hispanic judges who faced opposition in the last election cycle were defeated.

The group said it wanted to make the community aware of “the troubling trend of challenging judges based on any criteria other than qualifications”.

According T.J. Reddick Bar Association president Phyllis Williams Kotey, “If only the minority judges are being challenged, there is a concern.”

The statement said, “It is clear that in Broward County minority judges are under attack and not welcome. Minority lawyers are being shut out of the judicial appointment process.”

The group also pointed to the disparity between the demographics of Broward County, which is 51 percent minority groups, and the representatives on the bench, which is a mere 11 percent. Out of a total of 90 judges, only five are Hispanic and five are black.

Buoyed by support of the Hispanic Bar Association, the Haitian Lawyers Association and the Asia Pacific Bar Association, the lawyers also expressed frustration and disappointment in the handling of judicial selections.

Attorney Eugene K. Pettis, elected member of the Florida Bar Board of Governors, said the main contention is with the judicial appointment process. He said Broward is diverse and that diversity should be reflected on the bench. However, he said if the selection committees, such as the Judicial Nominations Commission, are not diverse, it is unlikely that they will select a crop of diverse judges for consideration for appointment. “The JNC is not diverse,” he said.

Pettis told the National Weekly that Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have more diversity on the bench and rubbished the issue of qualifications, saying that minority judicial applicants are as qualified and at times more qualified than their counterparts.

Pettis however hastened to add, “it’s not that the people [on the JNC] are bigots, but minorities would be more sensitive to the issue. It’s really a lack of sensitivity and a lack of commitment to diversity.”

He said the JNC should send a diverse group to Governor Charlie Crist for appointment and Crist should be held accountable. “Some people want to talk the talk because it looks good on the campaign trail, but when it comes down to it they don’t do it.”

When challenged about elected candidates, Pettis said he understands that it is a matter for the electorate and that it means educating voters on elections for judges. But he said it was still unsettling that challengers were mainly targeting minority judges.

Williams Kotey said the next step for the T.J. Reddick Association is to “strategically plan activities that will keep the issue at the forefront” to ensure that the community is more aware.