By Michael Apfel, Belen Avelar and Ruby Mota
NEW ORLEANS, LA – The ABA House of Delegates passed a resolution this week urging the removal of confederate memorabilia in areas where court proceedings are held—no one opposed the measure.
Resolution 402, targeting confederate memorabilia “and other symbols of racial and ethnic bias,” was initially submitted by the Virgin Islands Bar Association.
The bill was passed after being heard in the 2023 ABA Midyear Meeting. The ABA’s goal in the bill, as stated in an ABA report, was to address bias and improve diversity in the legal field.
A supporter of the resolution and Virgin Islands delegate, Shari D’Andrade, expressed her concerns regarding the confederate iconography.
“To all, especially those who look like me, these are a reminder of injustice and hatred,” said D’Andrade, who is Black.
A Tennessee courthouse cited in the report contains a “Jury Confederate Room,” including a Confederate flag, portraits of Confederate leaders and various symbols associated with the United Daughters of the Confederacy.
A Tennessee criminal defendant had benefited from a jury deliberating in this Giles County court. The Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals cited the jury had been exposed to improper outside influence while in this deliberation room.
“As the voice of the legal profession in the United States, the ABA is uniquely situated to recognize the adverse impact on the administration of justice that stems from the presence of Confederate memorabilia and other symbols of racial and ethnic bias in the interior and exterior of courthouses, and to advocate for their removal,” the report states.
