Diversity in Action

Not too long ago, nearly all courtrooms in the U.S. had almost one thing in common: the white man sitting behind the judge’s bench. While not inherently unfair, those judges were not representative of the communities they served—in one way or others.

Now, nearly 1 in 5 judges are minorities, while female judges comprise between one-third and one-half of the judiciary. Here in Colorado, that number is around 40%, thanks to trailblazing women like Judge Tanya Wheeler, who is pictured above.

Appointed to the bench two years ago by Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, we jumped at the chance to shoot her investiture recently—a ceremony to recognize her achievements in and out of the court. Wheeler’s resumé and accomplishments stand up among her contemporaries; she’s previously represented the Colorado Department of Human Services in issues related to child abuse and neglect, behavioral health, developmental disabilities, and more. Her resume includes work for the Colorado Attorney General and Denver Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which is a group we know very well.

This is to say that her appointment by Mayor Hancock is less about what she is and more about who she is: A proven, tireless public servant who represents and can speak to a group of Americans that are statistically under-represented in one essential aspect of our country. As we learned at Judge Wheeler’s investiture, representation for all of our communities at every level not just evens the field for others—equal representation gives us all a voice in the direction we’re going together.

Learn more about our special event photography for your events similar to the investiture.