Statement on Race and Equity

November 13, 2020

The call to end systemic racism in our communities is persevering and strong. The voices of those harmed by bias and racism in our nation are calling for meaningful change. As the Presiding Municipal Judge for the City of Federal Heights, I join the courts and judges across this country acknowledging the role our justice system has played in perpetuating the bias and the inequity that has burdened persons of color.

As a municipal court judge, I recognize my responsibility to eliminate injustice, to treat all people equitably no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status and to handle all cases in a fair and unbiased manner.  The individual rights set forth in the United States Constitution and the Colorado State Constitution apply to all.  Judges have a responsibility to make certain that our Constitutions are applied impartially to all people in every decision we make.  I hear the voices of those that have not experienced the ideals of equal justice. 

As the Washington State Supreme Court stated: “We cannot undo this wrong-but we can recognize our ability to do better in the future. We can develop a greater awareness of our own conscious and unconscious biases in order to make just decisions in individual cases, and we can administer justice and support court rules in a way that brings greater racial justice to our system as a whole.” Washington Supreme Court Letter dated June 4, 2020.

I am committed to participating in implicit biased training. I will also do what I can to encourage and facilitate diversity on the Colorado municipal court bench and among those who work in the municipal court system. I believe in the powerful words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”   

Sharing the sentiments of my colleagues in the Colorado Municipal Judges Association, the fight for change requires those who value justice, equality, and fairness, to stand together and call out injustice when we see it.  It is important to realize that we must be open and willing to acknowledge hard truths, to recognize the danger of implicit bias, and to look inward, as well as outward.  It will not be easy.  But a brighter future is within reach, if we join as a community with a vision of shared values and unwavering dedication to those goals.

Amanda Bailhache
Presiding Municipal Judge