DENVER — Former and current members of the Colorado Bar Association (CBA) are advocating for mandatory equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) training ahead of a case going before the state’s Supreme Court in April.
A letter from the CBA President’s Diversity Council is calling on Colorado’s high court to adopt the EDI CLE (continuing legal education) rule in order to address a”pressing need for a cultural change.”
The rule would require every licensed lawyer and judge in the state to undergo at least two hours of diversity training in order to combat racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia and xenophobia in the legal profession.
The move comes after racial justice protests in the summer of 2020 and the unraveling sexual discrimination scandal in the Colorado Judicial Department, allegedly involving dozens of judges and administrators in the state.
Since then, public trust and confidence with the judicial system at the state and federal levels has been significantly weathered.
A statement from the CBA says the rule could change that, “by embracing EDI education, our Supreme Court and our profession can send a message to our colleagues who experience bias: We hear you, we know it happens and as a profession, we will not tolerate it.”
