Thank you to the Perspectives board of editors for focusing this month’s feature article on the state of Afghan women judges and to author Cynthia L. Cooper for her work in bringing the stories of these judges to our readers. If you read nothing else in this edition of Perspectives, please read this article. The catastrophic and unprecedented removal of all women judges in Afghanistan—who make up 10 percent of the judiciary (approximately 250 judges)—is an attack on gender equity and creates a grave loss of multiple generations of judges. It also put the judges and their families in danger. Cooper’s article provides an update of the status of the judges and the efforts being undertaken by women judges internationally to bring the Afghan judges and their families to safety.
February 04, 2022 Chair's Column
Eye-Opening Articles on Afghan Women Judges and New Gender Gap Report
By Maureen Mulligan
I also want to announce the release of How Unappealing: An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Gap Among Appellate Attorneys, published by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession (CWP). We were thrilled when Judge Amy J. St. Eve and attorney Jamie B. Luguri approached us with their study and requested our collaboration in publishing the report.
The type of data-driven research conducted by Judge St. Eve and Luguri is crucial to understanding gender disparity in the legal profession. Without data, it is impossible to measure and create change. The results in How Unappealing show that despite a strong pipeline of talented women lawyers, men outnumber women arguing before the Seventh Circuit nearly three to one. St. Eve and Luguri compared data from 2009 with data from 2019, and, sadly, the results show a gender gap that has barely improved over the last decade. There are pockets of positive change identified in certain practice areas and in connection with some workplace settings.
But, overall, the percentage of women arguing in court, whether at the trial level, as reported in the 2015 landmark study First Chairs at Trial: More Women Need Seats at the Table or in the St. Eve and Luguri report, has not really changed. Think about using How Unappealing to assist your organization in making change. Please take a look at this new report by logging in to the Commission’s website.
If you’re looking to get involved, we are looking for new board members for Perspectives. If you are interested, please forward your resume to CWP Director Melissa Wood at [email protected].
Finally, it is not too early to be thinking about the Margaret Brent Awards ceremony. We are hopeful that this year’s celebration will be able to be in person so we can see each other and congratulate our honorees in person. Stay tuned for a new format, and we hope you will join us. More to come. In the meantime, be well.