Italian Americans are Under-Represented in U.S. Federal Court System
Press
Contact: Kylie Cafiero, (202) 547-2900 kcafiero@osia.org
WASHINGTON,
January 5, 2005 There are currently 1,301 federal judges in the U.S. Court System, but only 35 or 2.7% are Italian American, according to a new study by the Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA).
"Report
on Italian American Federal Judges" lists sitting
federal judges with Italian surnames and reveals
that even though Italian Americans make up 6% of
the total population, less than 3% of all current
U.S. federal judges are Italian American.
"Why
are Italian Americans so under-represented at the
highest level of the law? The statistic says it
all. The judges are there, but the opportunity
to advance is not," says OSIA National President
Joseph Sciame.
The
Sons of Italy report was compiled by OSIA's anti-defamation
arm, the Commission for Social Justice. It includes
findings from various courts that make up the
federal courts system, related statistics dealing
with Italian Americans in law and a list of active
Italian American federal judges. Highlights from
the report reveal that:
- Italian
Americans are the nation's
fifth largest ethnic minority and their
ranks are growing, according to the U.S. Census
Bureau. In the 2000 Census, 16 million people identified
themselves as of Italian descent—up from 15 million
reported in the 1990 Census.
- In
the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes
New York City, only two of the 106 key federal
judgeships in the city and surrounding suburbs
are Italian American.
- At
2,700,000 strong, Italian Americans constitute
New York State's largest ethnic group but have
less representation on the federal bench than blacks
and Latinos.
To
download the report, Click
Here. For a free printed copy, send a large,
stamped ($1.06) self addressed envelope to: Federal
Judge Report, Sons of Italy, 219 E Street, NE, Washington,
DC 20002.
OSIA is the largest and oldest national organization in the United States for men and women of Italian descent. Established in 1905, OSIA has more than 600,000 members and supporters and a network of more than 700 chapters coast to coast. See www.osia.org.
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