From the Desk of the Presiding Judge
Judge Averil Rothrock, King County Superior Court Presiding Judge
Believe in the Dream, Act for the Dream: The King County Superior Court’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At this year’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Luncheon on Jan. 16, Professor Cornell William Brooks brought a sold-out room to its feet — not with theatrics, but with conviction. Scholars of Dr. King’s work and legacy, like Professor Brooks, remind us that honoring Dr. King does not require us all to become students of non-violent resistance, extraordinary orators, or conspicuously brave national figures. What it does require is something simple, direct, and enduring: intentional action, taken locally, in service of a shared belief in justice and equality.
Professor Brooks reminded us that Dr. King was a prophet of peace, whose message of racial and economic justice resonated nationwide because it rested on mutuality. As Dr. King famously exhorted, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. His teachings stand as a bulwark against racism, xenophobia, misogyny, antisemitism, homophobia, and the many ways we may be tempted to “other” our fellow citizens.
The KCBA itself was formed in response to racial injustice in 1886, when mobs in Seattle sought to forcibly expel Chinese immigrants from the city. As we have learned from Dr. King about the nature of injustice, that threat was not only to those individuals, but to justice itself. Members of the legal community chose not to stand by. They organized, acted, and upheld the rule of law.
It is time to follow their example. “Now is the time to be the lawyers you were called to be,” Professor Brooks proclaimed, to sustained applause.
Many of us were in attendance. We were invited to ask ourselves what we can do to advance justice in our own community. We were dissuaded from believing that a monetary donation, though welcome, was a sufficient response. We were dissuaded from thinking that our legal specialties somehow exempt us from confronting injustice. And we were dissuaded from leaving the work to others.
We are, as Dr. King said, tied in a single garment of destiny. We all must care and mend it.
The Judiciary’s Role in the Work of Mending
When it comes to racial justice, the work of care and mending continues, and the judiciary has a particularly visible role to play. Inspired by MLK Day and Black History Month, I have reflected on how the King County Superior Court has sought to take affirmative steps toward racial justice.
I am proud of the concrete steps our Court has taken since 2020 to reduce racial bias and foster inclusion for all who work in and appear before our Court. We have not solved every problem — but we have picked up the needle and thread.
Following the protests for racial justice in the name of George Floyd in 2020, the Washington Supreme Court and the King County Superior Court issued statements condemning racial injustice and affirming a commitment by the judiciary to acknowledge past harms and work intentionally to reduce bias in our marble halls. The King County Superior Court pledged to educate ourselves not only about the existence of implicit bias, but also about the tools available to recognize and interrupt it. We pledged to engage continuously with our colleagues and our community to become more thoughtful and effective decision-makers.
That commitment was followed by focused introspection. In late 2020, the judges participated in facilitated workshops that included candid — and at times difficult — conversations about how courts can unintentionally perpetuate systemic inequities. Much of the Court’s administrative work is carried out through committees, and the Court resolved to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to integrate this work into our structure for years to come. Codified in 2021 under LCMR 6(a)(11), this committee is charged with designing and implementing the Court’s DEI Work Plan, evaluating compliance with DEI principles, and referring policy initiatives for broader consideration.
In October 2023, the judges adopted the King County Superior Court Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Principles Regarding Systemic Racism to guide administrative decision-making. These Principles align explicitly with our obligations under the Code of Judicial Conduct, reinforcing commitments to fairness, impartiality, public confidence, and meaningful engagement with the communities we serve.
The Principles articulate a vision to acknowledge, honor, and learn from the experiences of BIPOC judicial officers, staff, justice-system stakeholders, and members of the public, and commit each judicial officer to implementing the following Vision Statements:
- King County Superior Court recognizes that members of this institution have been and continue to be conditioned by systemic racism and implicit biases. Therefore, we actively work to identify and redress those biases within ourselves and within our policies and operations.
- King County Superior Court creates and maintains a climate that not only is welcoming and inclusive of BIPOC judicial officers and staff, but also is one in which their perspectives, insights and lived experiences are valued.
- King County Superior Court creates and maintains a culture of respect and collaboration.
- King County Superior Court, judicial officers and staff alike, approach DEI education as a life-long endeavor.
- As consistent with Washington State and federal Law, King County Superior Court makes policy, hiring, assignment, and advancement decisions that recognize the value of a diverse workforce.
- King County Superior Court proactively partners with, and actively strives to earn the trust of, the communities we serve.
- King County Superior Court prioritizes DEI work financially, philosophically, procedurally, and substantively.
To effectuate these visions, the Principles then outlined tasks and steps. The first is to work with staff regarding internal operations, customer service, policy development, and trainings that promote DEI considerations and, to the extent permitted by applicable law, to consider diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and training when conducting the administrative work of the Court. The Principles next commit the Court to becoming versed in, and utilizing, trauma-informed practices, reflecting our understanding that people of color, people living in poverty, and other members of marginalized communities are overrepresented in the justice system and are most likely to experience generational trauma, and that participating in the court system can be traumatic for any justice system user. The Principles task the leadership team at the Court with considering DEI implications of administrative decisions, incorporating DEI needs in the Court’s five-year strategic planning process, scheduling trainings and workshops to support DEI, and tracking the status of the Court’s DEI initiatives.
The Principles address our committee structure by tasking committees with considering DEI implications of their work and collaborating with the DEI Committee. The Education Committee is tasked with developing training and other educational programs to enhance judicial officers’ understanding of DEI issues, cultural responsiveness, and trauma-informed practices. The Principles require opportunities for mentorship and caucusing for BIPOC judicial officers. The Principles require that the Court develop tools for the consideration of DEI impacts of policymaking, and introduce considerations critical to inclusion into operational decisions. Three years in, we are working hard on each concrete step to meet our own expectations.
The Court also developed its own staff training program, “ACT RED,” which stands for Acknowledge, Challenge, and Transform to eliminate Racial & Ethnic Disparities. This one-day training, designed for all King County Superior Court administrative staff, is an interactive and thought-provoking experience to help us better understand how racial and ethnic disparities show up in court systems and what we can each do to address them in our daily work. It has been very well reviewed by participating staff.
Finally, after initially funding temporary positions, the Court in late 2025 hired a DEI program manager, Djenom Benjamin, further embedding this work into the Court’s daily operations. The goal of this work is to build a workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and able to contribute at their full potential.
“Our DEI efforts will focus on increasing representation at all levels, promoting equitable development and advancement, fostering an inclusive culture where all voices are heard, and ensuring accountability through measurable progress,” Ms. Benjamin said recently in an email to staff. “This will be achieved through data-informed assessments, inclusive recruitment practices, continued DEI education (including ongoing ACT RED training), Employee Resource Group (ERG) engagement and communication, mentorship and leadership development opportunities, and policies that reinforce equity in daily operations.”
I’m proud that our Court has moved beyond statements of intention in our 2020 letter to sustained action. In taking up this work, we have taken up the needle. We are also following in the footsteps of the founders of the KCBA and of Dr. King who — like swells of citizens active in the Civil Rights movement — did not stay on the sidelines, but stepped forward to act in support of justice.
