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Inaugural CJA Forum on Achieving Equal Justice For All in the 21st Century

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Keynote Address:

Isabel Wilkerson

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, Isabel Wilkerson is the author of the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestsellers The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.

The Inaugural Forum on Achieving Equal Justice for All in the 21st Century will provide both a historical context for current discussions around race in the justice system as well as a framework for understanding the current role that judges and lawyers can play in achieving justice for all in the 21st century—including justice for historically marginalized groups in particular. This context and framework will enhance our understanding of the matters that come before us, improve our decisionmaking in those matters, and, as a result, promote both the integrity of and public confidence in our judicial system.


The Forum will kick off in the morning with a panel of accomplished jurists, and it will close with Isabel Wilkerson’s keynote address and a moderated Q & A. CJA is proud to have partnered with the California Lawyers Association (CLA) to sponsor the keynote address. 

  • Date: Saturday, April 17, 2021
  • Time: 10:30AM - 2:30PM
  • Location: Zoom
  • Cost: Complimentary to CJA Members
  • Education: The morning program is approved for 1.5 hour of MCLE specialty credit in the area of Recognition and Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and society and 1.5 hour of JBEC General Education credit.
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Morning Panel

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Panel Moderator, Professor Michele Goodwin, University of California, Irvine

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Judge Consuelo B. Marshall, US District Court, Central District

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Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins, CA Supreme Court

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Judge Charles E. Wilson II, Santa Clara Superior Court

10:30AM - 12:30PM: Opening Remarks and Panel

Marginalized groups and social movements have long looked to our legal system for justice and to effect change. With the growing attention to immigration and police reform, racial and economic justice, and gender equality, what should be the role of lawyers and the courts? What are the important conversations lawyers, judges, and other stakeholders in the judicial system should be having about social justice? How can each of these groups serve to protect the civil liberties and civil rights of all people and give hope to vulnerable communities? What are the limits of the law in serving as a tool for social reform and justice?  


In this session, Professor Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, will moderate a discussion between California Supreme Court Justice Martin Jenkins, United States District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall, and Santa Clara Superior Court Judge Charles Wilson on the role of the judiciary in achieving social justice. Participants will consider the value and importance of social justice reform, how they have used their positions to promote social justice in the legal system and beyond, and how these issues take shape or should take shape within the law.


The panel will be followed by breakout sessions which seek to provide judicial officers a safe space to talk, listen, and learn by having open and honest conversations with their colleagues from every corner of the state. Participants will have the opportunity to connect and share current issues that impact our lives on and off the bench.

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1:00PM Keynote Address: Isabel Wilkerson

Sponsored by the California Lawyers Association

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Isabel Wilkerson, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Humanities Medal, is the author of the critically acclaimed, New York Times bestsellers The Warmth of Other Suns and Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.


In her keynote address, Ms. Wilkerson will address the historical challenges people of color have faced in the US and reflect on the lasting impact of systemic racism. By bringing together CJA and CLA for the keynote address, California’s legal community will better understand the implications of systematic racism for the judicial system. Together, we will continue to strive to provide equal access and equal justice for all.


A reminder that recording is not permitted for this event. There will be a live Q&A so please come with questions!

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“Wilkerson's work,” in the words of The American Prospect magazine, “is the missing puzzle piece of our country's history.”

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