Diversity On State Supreme Courts Show Very Little Improvement

State supreme courts still fail to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, according to an update published Friday by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law (article available here).

The percentage of justices of color on state supreme courts increased only slightly since April 2021, increasing from 17% to 18%, according to a May update by the Brennan Center for Justice. The percentage of female justices also increased slightly, increasing from 39% to 41%.

In 20 states, all the high court justices are white, a decrease from 22 states in 2021. In 12 of those 20 states, people of color make up at least 20% of the population.