Towards the Elimination of Gender Bias in the Florida Courts
![handle is hein.journals/novalr11 and id is 1587 raw text is: Towards the Elimination of Gender Bias in the
Florida Courts
Sandy Karlan*
Florida's judicial system is beginning to respond. The Chief Jus-
tice of the Florida Supreme Court has announced the creation of a
Gender Bias Commission. The purpose of the Commission is to uncover
the areas within the court system where gender bias operates and to
propose solutions to these problems.
Gender bias is the tendency to think about and behave toward peo-
ple mainly on the basis of their sex. It affects everyone - attorneys,
witnesses, plaintiffs, defendants, jurors, and judges. According to The
First Year Report of the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on
Women in the Courts, gender bias is reflected in attitudes and behavior
based on stereotypical beliefs about the sexes' true natures and
proper roles, rather than on independent evaluation of each individ-
ual's abilities, life experiences, and aspirations.1
Consider the case of the judge in Chicago who stated to a woman
attorney appearing before him, I don't think that ladies should be law-
yers. I believe that you belong at home raising a family.'2 Although
this might appear to be an extreme example, I assure you it is com-
monplace in our system.
I recall appearing at a motion calendar hearing where opposing
counsel was also a woman. We were intently arguing our respective
positions when the male judge looked up from his court file, interrupted
my presentation, and said, I love to see you women fight. I was mor-
tified. Images of mud wrestling immediately came to mind, and the
male lawyers waiting their turn had a good laugh at our professional
expense.
* J.D., Nova Law Center, 1978; B.A., University of Miami, 1971. Ms. Karlan is
an attorney in Miami.
1. NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT TASK FORCE ON WOMEN IN THE COURTS,
FIRST YEAR REPORT (1984) [hereinafter cited as NEW JERSEY TASK FORCE]. For
more on the experiences in other states, see Schafran, Documenting Gender Bias in the
Courts: The Task Force Approach, 70 JUDICATURE 280 (1987).
2. Blodgett, I Don't Think That Ladies Should be Lawyers, A.B.A. J., Dec. 1,
1986, at 48.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/novalr11&div=77&collection=journals&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Towards the Elimination of Gender Bias in the Florida Courts
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