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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3124 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1727 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Carlos González |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to increasing racial diversity among judges in Massachusetts. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Carlos González10th Hampden1/16/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3124 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1727 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative González of Springfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1727) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Carlos González for legislation to establish a special commission (including members of the |
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| 20 | 20 | | General Court) relative to increasing racial diversity among judges. The Judiciary. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE HOUSE, NO. 1528 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to increasing racial diversity among judges in Massachusetts. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 (a) Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, there shall be a special |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2legislative commission established pursuant to section 2A of chapter 4 of the General Laws to |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3study the potential for legislative action to increase racial diversity among the judiciary in the |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4Commonwealth. The commission shall consist of 15 members: 2 of whom shall be the chairs of |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5the joint committee on the judiciary or their designees, who shall serve as co-chairs; 1 of whom |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6shall be the chair of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus or a designee; 1 of |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7whom shall be the chair of the Massachusetts House Asian Caucus or a designee; 1 of whom |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8shall be the attorney general or a designee; 1 of whom shall be the secretary of public safety and |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9security or a designee; 1 of whom shall be the executive director of the American Civil Liberties |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10Union of Massachusetts, Inc. or a designee; 1 of whom shall be the president of the National 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11Association for the Advancement of Colored People New England Area Conference or a |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12designee; 2 of whom shall be appointed by the Governor’s Council; and 8 of whom shall be |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13appointed by the governor, 1 of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Bar Association, 1 of |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14whom shall be from the Boston Bar Association, 1 of whom shall be from the Massachusetts |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15Black Lawyers Association, 1 of whom shall be from the Massachusetts Association of Hispanic |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16Attorneys, 1 of whom shall be from the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts, |
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| 47 | 47 | | 171 of whom shall be from the Massachusetts District Attorney’s Association or an Assistant |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18District Attorney, and 1 of whom shall be from the Committee for Public Counsel Services. |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19 (b) The appointments made by the governor pursuant to subsection (a) shall include |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20women and people of color in such proportion as these groups exist in the commonwealth’s |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21population as periodically determined by the state secretary as the commonwealth’s chief census |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22officer. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23 (c) The commission shall evaluate the current and historic state of racial diversity among |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24judges in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts including, but not limited to: (i) the impact |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25legislative action could have on racial diversity within the judiciary; (ii) recommendations to |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26ensure increased racial diversity across the judiciary; (iii) proposed standards for admission to |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27the judiciary, including, but not limited to, age, education, community of origin, psychological |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28and mental health; and (iv) any other information the commission deems relevant. |
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| 59 | 59 | | 29 (d) The commission shall submit its findings and recommendations relative to increasing |
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| 60 | 60 | | 30racial diversity within the judiciary by filing the same with the clerks of the house of |
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| 61 | 61 | | 31representatives, the senate, the Governor’s Council, and the Governor not later than December |
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| 62 | 62 | | 3231, 2026. |
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