Batista Joins Growing Call to Raimondo to Appoint Judges of Color to "Reflect Rhode Island"
GoLocalProv News Team and Reynaldo Almonte for Latino Public Radio
Batista Joins Growing Call to Raimondo to Appoint Judges of Color to "Reflect Rhode Island"
Video: Reynaldo Almonte, Latino Public Radio
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In a press event at the Rhode Island State House on Thursday, Batista, Williams, and supporters called on Raimondo to appoint Melissa Long and Elizabeth Ortiz to the State Supreme Court and Family Court respectively.
Lack of Diversity on Bench
“I’m someone who’s spent my entire life in the state and in particular on the south side of Providence. I’ve been a practicing attorney in this great state for the past five years,” said Batista. “I can tell you personally, as can many Rhode Islanders, the value — and impact — a judge has on cases in Rhode Island.”
“Our court system is often inundated with many more cases than can be handled at one time. During these crunch moments, when there’s a premium on resolving cases, and hurrying them up to move on to the next one, a judge’s intellect, experience, and cultural competence are of the utmost importance,” he said. “Oftentimes snap decisions will be made on the credibility of a witness, or the veracity of a claim. Decisions can have lifelong impacts on the lives of children and families and communities.”
“Racial diversity is not just morally right — it is in the vital economic interest of our state long term,” he said. “As much as we invest in job training and educational credit for students to go to college, there’s a hole in our bucket — as long as our bench doesn’t represent the population of our state.”