A Message from the President

I wish to thank the Board of Directors of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts for electing me as the new Moderator at the 20th Annual Meeting in Seattle in May 2008. I am honored by your confidence and look forward to the opportunity to further the mission and work of the National Consortium.

It is important to acknowledge the dedication, work, and leadership of our immediate past Moderator, Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court. She has been a source of inspiration to the board and to the courts. In her tenure as the Moderator, she helped to increase the visibility and the quality of the programs of the National Consortium. Also it is under her leadership that the National Consortium has initiated a strategic planning process to ensure that our work is aligned with the needs of the courts. Please join me in thanking Justice Kelly.

It has been 21 years since our first meeting. The National Consortium has grown significantly from representatives from four states to over 35 plus the District of Columbia. It has also changed from an intimate meeting of four states to an annual national conference, but the focus has not changed: We need to ensure that everyone regardless of race, color, or ethnicity is treated fairly and with dignity and we continue to engage in conversations about access to justice issues impacting racial, ethnic, and other minorities throughout this country.

In 2009, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness hosted the 21st Annual Meeting of the National Consortium in Pittsburgh which concluded on May 9, 2009. The conference, as usual, was filled with informative and engaging education sessions and exceptional guest speakers. I hope the programs offered some wonderful ideas for education programs in your respective states and reinvigorated you to continue the important work of ensuring access and equal justice for all.

Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for our 22nd Conference and Annual Meeting, "Transformative Tools for Delivering Justice in the 21st Century."

What:	22nd National Conference and Annual Meeting
When:	April 28, 2010 – May 1, 2010
Location:	Hyatt Regency, Two Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ
Host:	New Jersey Judiciary

Clarance J. Jones
Judge
Connecticut Superior Court

Updated November 20, 2009