Diversifying California’s judiciary has been a top goal of state judicial branch leaders for the better part of a decade. Progress, however, has been slow.

Just 37% of Californians identify themselves as white. But more than 65% of judges and justices in California are white. Over the last 10 years, the applicant pools have expanded for some minority groups. But the pipeline remains small for others; just 15 lawyers with disabilities applied for a judgeship in 2019; none was selected.