FREDERICA.
% >> LAST YEAR GOVERNOR EVERS
% APPOINTED JUDGE JOSEPH DONALD TO
% THE STATE COURT OF APPEALS.
% AT THAT TIME, DONALD WAS ONLY
% THE SECOND AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO
% SERVE AT THAT LEVEL.
% THIS WEEK, HE JOINED LIBERALS ON
% THE STATE SUPREME COURT AND
% OTHER WISCONSIN APPEALS COURT
% JUDGES IN CALLING FOR MAKING THE
% BENCH MORE DIVERSE AND
% ACKNOWLEDGING RACIAL BIAS WITHIN
% THE LEGAL SYSTEM.
% WE ASKED JUDGE DONALD TO JOIN US
% EARLIER THIS WEEK AND WE THANK
% YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE,
% JUDGE.
% >> I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE AND
% THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
% >> SO THE OPEN LETTER THAT YOU
% SIGNED ON TO SAYS, QUOTE, "WE
% NEED TO RECOGNIZE THE ONGOING
% INJUSTICES IN OUR LEGAL SYSTEM
% AND THE BARRIERS THAT STAND IN
% THE WAY OF JUSTICE."
% WHAT ARE THE ONGOING INJUSTICES?
% >> WELL, FIRST LET ME SAY THIS,
% WITH RESPECT TO THE OTHER
% COSIGNERS OF THAT LETTER.
% I AM JUST DELIGHTED AND VERY
% PROUD OF THEIR WILLINGNESS TO
% STEP FORWARD AND TO RECOGNIZE
% THAT WE DO HAVE A PROBLEM IN OUR
% JUSTICE SYSTEM.
% THE MAIN ISSUE IS TO ENSURE THAT
% WE TREAT PEOPLE WITH FAIRNESS
% AND EQUALITY.
% AND ANYONE THAT HAS SPENT ANY
% TIME IN THE SYSTEM UNDERSTANDS
% THAT THERE ARE AREAS THAT REALLY
% NEED IMPROVEMENT.
% YOU KNOW, IT'S MY BELIEF THAT WE
% HAVE WAY TOO MANY PEOPLE LOCKED
% UP AND LOCKED UP FOR WAY TOO
% LONG.
% BUT WE HAVE TO TRY AND FIGURE
% OUT WHAT ARE THOSE SORT OF
% SYSTEMIC BARRIERS AND PROCESSES
% THAT ARE CREATING THIS INEQUITY.
% >> SO WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF
% THE BARRIERS?
% >> WELL, I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST
% BARRIER, IF I HAD TO PUT THEM IN
% SORT OF BROAD TERMS, IGNORANCE
% IS A BARRIER, DENIAL, AND
% SILENCE.
% YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE IS A
% NEED FOR THOSE WHO WORK OR WHO
% ARE LEADERS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL
% JUSTICE SYSTEM AND JUSTICE
% SYSTEM TO SPEAK OUT.
% AND I THINK THAT THIS LETTER
% GOES A LONG WAY TO AT LEAST
% ENGAGE AND START THE
% CONVERSATION.
% THERE WAS A TIME WHEN JUDGES
% TYPICALLY SORT OF JUST LAID BACK
% IN THE BACKGROUND AND NEVER
% REALLY ASSERTED THEMSELVES INTO
% THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE.
% BUT I THINK THAT WE ARE NOW IN A
% NEW ENVIRONMENT, PARTICULARLY
% GIVEN ALL OF THE ANGER AND GRIEF
% AND FRUSTRATION THAT THE PEOPLE
% FEEL.
% AND SO I THINK THERE IS A NEED
% FOR JUDGES TO STEP FORWARD AND
% TO SPEAK TO THESE ISSUES.
% >> YOU TALK ABOUT IGNORANCE AND
% DENIAL.
% ON WHOSE PART?
% >> WELL, SORT OF THOSE WHO JUST
% SAY THAT THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM.
% YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL
% TAKE THE POSITION, WELL, I
% DIDN'T CREATE THIS PROBLEM.
% I DON'T GO OUT AND ARREST PEOPLE
% AND BRING THEM TO COURT.
% YOU KNOW, THEY'RE BROUGHT TO MY
% COURT.
% BUT TO SAY THAT YOU'RE NOT PART
% OF THE SYSTEM AND TO NOT ASK
% QUESTIONS AS TO HOW SOMEONE
% COMES INTO THE SYSTEM, WHY THEY
% COME INTO THE SYSTEM.
% YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY THAT AS
% -- WHEN I WAS A TRIAL COURT
% JUDGE, I WOULD SIT THERE AND
% ROUTINELY SEE, YOU KNOW, BLACK
% DEFENDANT AFTER BLACK DEFENDANT,
% AND THE QUESTION ULTIMATELY
% COMES, WHY ARE WE DOING THIS AND
% WHAT IS GOING TO BE DONE ABOUT
% IT?
% IT ISN'T ENOUGH TO JUST SAY,
% WELL, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE JUST
% STOPPED COMMITTING CRIMES, THEY
% WOULDN'T END UP IN THE CRIMINAL
% JUSTICE SYSTEM.
% BUT AS YOU LOOK AT SORT OF WHAT
% ARE THE ROOT CAUSES, TRAUMA,
% MENTAL HEALTH, ECONOMIC.
% YOU KNOW, SO THOSE ARE THE
% THINGS THAT SORT OF BRING PEOPLE
% -- THE ROOT CAUSES THAT BRING
% PEOPLE INTO THE SYSTEM.
% I RECOGNIZED THAT AS A TRIAL
% COURT JUDGE WHEN I CREATED THE
% DRUG TREATMENT COURT TO TRY AND
% FIGURE OUT WAYS TO DIVERT PEOPLE
% FROM THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
% SYSTEM.
% IT ISN'T ALL ABOUT RETRIBUTION
% AND PUNISHMENT.
% AND SO I THINK THAT THERE IS --
% THERE IS -- WE ARE IN A NEW
% ENVIRONMENT NOW, AND I THINK
% PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING THAT WE
% TAKE A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN
% ENSURING THAT THERE IS FAIRNESS.
% >> WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
% THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO TALK
% ABOUT, AND WE APPRECIATE YOU
% JOINING ON THIS.
% JUDGE DONALD, THANKS.
% >> WELL, THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
% I'M DELIGHTED TO BE ON AND I
% LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THE
% CONVERSATION.