Office of Minority Affairs

Creating an environment of excellence and diversity in the Kentucky court system

The Office of Minority Affairs develops diversity outreach programs on behalf of the Kentucky Court of Justice. The OMA acts in an advisory role to ensure that court system policies and procedures do not discriminate based on race, creed, religion, color, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability or national origin.

The OMA conducts educational forums across the state on such topics as the importance of participating in jury service and recruiting minorities to the legal profession. The groups that have been addressed include the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Justice Resource Center, local chapters of the Urban League and minority chapters of the Kentucky Bar Association.

The Minority Speakers Bureau provides judges and court personnel to address issues affecting the minority community.

The OMA encourages minority students to pursue legal careers by promoting the professional opportunities available through the Court of Justice at job fairs and minority conventions.

Judicial clerkships are important entry-level positions for new law school graduates. The OMA encourages minority students to apply for the clerkships through the Minority Law Clerk Recruitment Program. The program is available through the state’s three law schools, the University of Kentucky College of Law, the University of Louisville School of Law and Northern Kentucky University College of Law.

The OMA encourages law school placement officers and Kentucky Bar Association members to serve as mentors for minority law students.

Community outreach is key to the court system’s ability to educate the public about the courts and foster partnerships among the courts and communities.

The OMA has collaborated with minority organizations such as the NAACP, Urban League, Hispanic Coalition, Kentucky Commission on Women, Black Achievers, the American and National Bar Associations, Blacks in Government, the Council on Racial and Ethnic Fairness, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the Race Relations Commission, Peace and Justice Kentucky, the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts and the Jefferson County Commission on Racial Fairness.