Jul 11, 2022 - Politics

Georgia’s state Supreme Court diversity

Data: Bren­nan Center for Justice; Map: Baidi Wang/Axios

There are no high court justices who identify as a person of color in 20 states, while women make up less than a quarter of the bench in 10 states, according to data from the Brennan Center for Justice, reported by Axios' Stef Kight.

Zoom in: 48% of Georgia's population are people of color, but just two of its nine state Supreme Court justices, or 22%, are.

  • 44% of Georgia's Supreme Court justices are women, to the state's 51% female population.
  • One third of Georgia’s population is Black, but just one state Supreme Court justice, Verda Colvin, is.
  • Latino people account for 10.2% of Georgia's population, but the state has no Latino supreme court justices.

Of note: Georgia's 22% makeup of justices of color is slightly above the 18% national figure, and its number of female justices is higher than the 41% national rate.

The big picture: Georgia's state Supreme Court has seen a major change in its gender breakdown in recent years. When Gov. Brian Kemp took office, just one of nine of the justices was a woman.

Data: Brennan Center for Justice; Map: Nicki Camberg/Axios
avatar

Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Atlanta.

🌱

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

Learn more

More Atlanta stories

No stories could be found

Atlantapostcard

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Atlanta.

🌱

Support local journalism by becoming a member.

Learn more