Both have had experience handling a wide variety of cases and enjoy the respect of their peers and the community. In addition to his legal work, Mr. Perry is known for launching the Jackie Robinson Little League program in Orlando, which provided recreation and academic tutoring to hundreds of local youngsters. Mr. Grimes is known as a motivational speaker. He also has been involved with the Richard V. Moore Community Center in Daytona Beach. Adding more minorities and women to the bench means more than window dressing.
Justice demands diversity on the bench.
And that diversity is lacking in Florida, where seven of 10 of the state's approximately 800 judges are white males and two of 10 are white females. Since taking office, Mr. Bush has appointed women and minorities to fill 18 of 64 judicial vacancies. When people go to court and see a judge who looks like them, they are more likely to have confidence that they will be treated fairly. And a more diverse group of judges brings a broader set of life experiences that can enrich the decision-making process. Some minority and women lawyers, who may have the qualifications to serve as judges, decline to offer their names for nomination because they say they doubt that they would be considered fairly.