In 2015-2016, members of the Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities focused on presenting continuing legal education programs that were engaging and practical. In September 2015, we presented a program titled The Hiring Process: An Applicant’s Background and the Legal Issues Facing Employers. The program was an in-depth discussion with an EEOC attorney and a private practitioner. In November 2015, we co-sponsored the Symposium on Sexual Assaults on Campus, which took place over a period of two days. An upcoming issue of REM’s newsletter, The Challenge, will include a comprehensive summary of the program and a list of resources for students, survivors, researchers and volunteers. In January 2016, we presented a program on the expungement of criminal records of adults and juveniles.

We are working on programs for the 2016-2017 bar year and reviewing certain U.S. Supreme Court cases, including Texas Dept. of Housing and Community Affairs v. The Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. and Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. The first case, which the Court decided in June 2015, concerned disparate impact claims under the Fair Housing Act. Fisher concerns the use of racial preferences in undergraduate admissions. Fisher was originally before the Court in 2012-2013. The current matter is Fisher II.

We look forward to serving you in the next bar year. 

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Athena T. Taite, 2015-16 Chair if the ISBA Standing Committee on Racial and Ethnic Minorities can be contacted at ataite@iardc.org.