CALIFORNIA AFFINITY JUDICIAL ASSOCIATIONS ESTABLISH CALIFORNIA AFFINITY JUDICIAL ASSOCIATION COALITION (CAJAC)
(LOS ANGELES, CA – August 25, 2020) Leaders of California Affinity Judicial Associations issue the following:

Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote from a jail cell: “Injustice anywhere is at threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

That is why we, various associations of bench officers in the California state courts, are issuing this statement today.

The Affinity Judicial Associations of California comprised of the following: Association of African American California Judicial Officers (AAACJO), California Association of Black Lawyers, Judicial Council (CABLJC), California Latino Judges Association (CLJA), and LGBT Judges of California (LGBT JOC), stand together to condemn our country’s history of persistent systemic racism.

We also announce our historic coalition to work together as one to advocate for a more just and united judicial system. Our coalition will be known as the California Affinity Judicial Association Coalition (CAJAC). We understand that we need a judicial system where equal protection under the law means what it says in all cases; where the color of your skin, who you love or your economic circumstances don’t lead to different outcomes.

We stand together as one today to announce our coalition. Change must happen. Actions matter. Words are no longer enough. We have sworn to uphold and defend the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the State of California, and we are committed to providing equal access to justice and equal protection under the law for all.