Upholding fairness in the courts

The issue of fairness is the cornerstone of our judicial system. Multiple studies show that if litigants or members of the public perceived that the courts provided fair treatment, they had a more positive attitude toward and were more confident in the court system as a whole.

Hennepin County District Court Judge Kevin Burke, along with some colleagues, recently launched Procedural Fairness, a website devoted to the issue of fairness in the courts.

"It isn't exclusively a Minnesota issue," Burke said. "Fairness in courts is a national issue."

According to the site, Procedural Fairness focuses on "helping judges and courts implement policies and practices that promote procedural fairness in courtrooms and courthouses... This site is a collaborative effort by judges, researchers, and university professors who share a belief that an emphasis on procedural fairness can make judges and court managers more effective decision makers, improve compliance with court orders, and increase public satisfaction with the court system."

Burke will join The Daily Circuit Friday to discuss the issues that affect fairness in the courts and what's being done to overcome them. Max Tobias, Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal judge and president of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts, will also join the discussion.

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