2021 Judicial Conference Program

Disadvantaged communities have been hit the hardest, widening the economic inequities even further. The COVID-19 Access to Justice Task Force established by Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and co-led by Reena Shah directly addressed these inequities with concrete recommendations for policymakers and legislators to consider. The panel will discuss these inequities and the recommendations of the Task Force. Senator Carter will also provide insights into specific legislation introduced and/or passed this session in furtherance of the Task Force’s recommendations and beyond. PANEL OR PARTICIPANTS ANCHOR Honorable LaTina B. Greene FACILITATOR Honorable Mark F. Scurti, District Court in Baltimore City Honorable Brian E. Frosh, Attorney General of Maryland Honorable Jill P. Carter, Maryland State Senator Reena K. Shah, M.P.A., J.D., Executive Director, Maryland Access to Justice Commission ENSURING JUSTICE FOR ALL: GUIDANCE FOR INCLUSION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES COMING TO COURT The right to be heard is an essential component of a fair and impartial systemof justice. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that people with disabilities have the right to be heard – to have full and fair access to the court and in-court proceedings. Disability Rights Maryland will facilitate a panel discussion with people with disabilities designed to assist judges in determining when and how to provide access and accommodations for people with disabilities when coming to court. PANEL OR PARTICIPANTS ANCHOR Honorable Yolanda L. Curtin FACILITATOR Robin Murphy, Executive Director, Disability Rights Maryland Ken Capone, People on the Go Maryland Floyd Hartley, Chair, Consumers for Accessible Ride Services (CARS) Luciene Parsley, Legal Advocacy Director, Disability Rights Maryland Tanisia Smith, Chair, Protection & Advocacy Advisory Council IMPLICIT BIAS AND PROCEDURAL FAIRNESS This workshop will critically examine the idea of implicit bias and its implications for judicial decision making. Discussion in the interactive session will focus on: 1) fairness and 2) procedural, distributive and substantive justice and whether addressing bias and fairness can create meaningful access for litigants. Everyone attending these conversations will take the two tests on race and gender (career and gender science) on the Project Implicit website. This workshop includes pre-work. Please complete the Race IAT and Gender-Career IAT on the Harvard Implicit Bias test website prior to attending the workshop. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html PANEL OR PARTICIPANTS ANCHOR Honorable Jeannie J. Hong FACILITATOR Sujata Warrier, Ph.D., Battered Women’s Justice Project RESPECTING LGBTQ + LITIGANTS AND COUNSEL IN THE COURTROOM By exploring the lived experiences of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer) attorneys and their clients, this breakout session will better prepare participants for interactions with LGBTQ litigants and counsel in their own courtrooms. Topics covered will include ongoing societal discrimination faced by the LGBTQ community, especially queer people of color and transgender individuals; how sexual orientation and gender identity are and are not relevant in the courtroom, and how you can make your courtroom a more welcoming—and less frightening—environment for LGBTQ litigants and counsel. Presented by FreeState Justice and the LGBTQ Bar Association of Maryland.

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