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ELIMINATION OF BIAS PRESENTATION by Hon. David Wolf
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N OCTOBER 5, 2020, I was honored to be asked to be part of a panel addressing the important issue of the elimination of bias from the bench. The event was hosted by Kern County Multicultural Bar Alliance (MCBA). Judges and attorneys from the Elimination of Bias Committees of Kern and Tulare Counties participated. Commissioner Cynthia Loo, from Kern County, was the coordinator and the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Commissioner Loo and her team put together an amazing event. The event was only $5.00 and included Elimination of Bias MCLE credit. For an additional $20.00, the MCBA delivered to the attendees a basket of the specific wines being featured. At several points during the presentation there were breaks and Kern’s own MCBA Sommelier described the specific wine being sampled. Panelists and attendees could then comment on the wines and on the presentation. I have to admit that I was skeptical about the wine tasting portion of the event, however, I was wrong. It was an amazing way to “break the ice” and add some fun to a very serious and sometimes challenging topic. One of the highlights of the evening was a presentation by Dr. Jeanine E. Kraybill, the Pre-Law Program Director at California State University Bakersfield. Professor Kraybill shared her research on implicit bias regarding gender and judicial officers. Professor Kraybill shared her statistics and also some of the comments from the survey’s participating judicial officers. According to Dr. Kraybill’s survey, female judicial officers reported that they are more likely to check themselves for personal bias. The individual comments were very helpful promoting a discussion about implicit bias. For example, one female judicial officer reported having to check her bias against women who stay in a domestic violence situation. Another female judicial officer reported having to be aware of a bias when she felt someone RES IPSA LOQUITUR
was not being a good mother. One judicial officer noted that they had not previously thought about this topics but, after reviewing the survey, thought they should try gender role reversal as a check for bias and implicit bias. According to Dr. Kraybill’s survey, male judicial officers were more likely to state that they engage in “self-monitoring” or “consult with other judges, staff, and/or family.” Commissioner Loo put together an amazing and diverse panel. The panel included judges, commissioners, prosecutors, defense attorneys, private counsel, members of the MCBA and
