Perhaps it’s just a coincidence.
Again this year, Forbes ranks Utah dead last in the nation for women’s equality. Also this year, our governor expands the Utah Supreme Court and fills the new seats with two more white Mormon men.
Again.
Utah has countless accomplished women who have excelled as attorneys, judges, scholars and public servants. The idea that none of them was among the best candidates stretches credibility.
Justice is supposed to inspire confidence that every citizen has a seat at the table, even if not every citizen sits on the bench. When every justice shares essentially the same demographic background, many Utahns understandably wonder whose experiences are missing from the conversation.
A state that prides itself on families should ask a simple question: What message are we sending to our daughters when they can grow up to become almost anything — except, apparently, one of the people interpreting Utah’s Constitution?
What message does this send to all women living in Utah? Diversity is not about checking boxes — it is about making better decisions. When the people interpreting our laws all come from remarkably similar backgrounds, Utah misses the wisdom that comes from different life experiences. We should expect better.
Let Gov. Cox know what you think about his Supreme Court picks.
Rachel Taylor, Salt Lake City