Task force seeks cultural shift and training to reduce workplace harassment in the courts

Judge Sarah Dannon presented findings from the Judicial Workplace Anti-Harassment Task Force: listening sessions and a 2021 workplace survey showed high rates of work-related harassment and notable impacts on Indigenous, multiracial, gay/lesbian and bisexual court clerks; Dannon said the task force envisions a long-term cultural shift through an evidence-based anti-bias and anti-harassment training curriculum and pilot programs.

The work groups will develop training pilots, equity-and-access reviews, and structural policy recommendations to improve reporting and support for staff and judicial officers; Dannon said the task force is coordinating with Judicial College and the Supreme Court’s rule changes (GR 44) to set groundwork for new norms.