Earls, one of two liberal justices on the bench, is feeling the heat amidst the announcement of her colleague, Justice Michael Morgan, preparing to hang his robes in September.
The expansive list of defendants includes the commission’s chair, vice chair, and a combination of 14 members – six of whom wear the robes of justice themselves.
The endgame for Earls? A court-mandated cessation of the commission’s alleged attempts to suppress her voice.
In a rebuttal, the commission’s Executive Director, Brittany Pinkham, painted a different picture, emphasizing its non-partisan nature and a steadfast commitment to probing potential judicial misconduct.
The Alleged Missteps
The turmoil reached fever pitch when, on August 15, Earls found herself under the microscope for her candid comments during a June interview with Law360.
The contention? A stark imbalance of diversity on the state’s appellate bench.
Backing her claims, a study by state Solicitor General Ryan Y. Park highlighted that a whopping 90% of attorneys presenting before the state Supreme Court are white and predominantly male.
