BAEC Bulletin | November/December 2022 | 39
While the biases, attitudes or stereotypes that we have formed, (consciously or unconsciously) are not easily subject to direct introspection, I call on each of us to engage in that process. How do we apply our Christianity towards people we encounter in our profession and in our courtrooms? I offer the following: Don’t fret over external motivations for political correctness. Instead, cultivate your internal motivation to continuously improve both individually and professionally. Avoid moral credentialing just because you have studied implicit bias. It is not just about taking the class. Be patient. The one thing I ask God for daily is patience. My prayer is usually followed by “I need it now.” Be kind. Be understanding. Be fair. Be impartial. Be compassionate. Be respectful. Refuse to pigeonhole people or reduce people to pre- packaged ideas. The blindfold on Lady Justice is said to depict impartiality and serves as a reminder of our mission to provide access to justice in all courts for people of all backgrounds, incomes and abilities. Does blinding ourselves eliminate our biases and prejudices or does it permit them to pass through unchecked? Perhaps it is necessary to remove our blindfold to properly see and understand the person and the story of the individuals who appear before us as lawyers
and judges. Is this person marginalized or victimized? Will my implicit or explicit biases or prejudices marginalize or victimize that person again. The scales of justice that Lady Justice carries, reminds us to balance the evidence and avoid jumping to conclusions. Are you relying on intuition or gut feelings? Have you listened to all the evidence? Does the litigant feel heard? Have you given the litigant their day in court? What evidence is tipping the scales? Don’t let it be our biases and prejudices. As lawyers and judges, each of us owes our best every day to the people we represent or who appear before us in order that justice be served. St. Paul reminds us in his first letter to Timothy that when our time on this earth is finished, Jesus is the great mediator between God and man. How do we want to be remembered? What will Jesus, our ultimate mediator, present to God on our behalf in our final mediation? •
HON. MARY L. SLISZ
NYS Supreme Court Justice Eighth Judicial District
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