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Connections

The Judicial Observation Project explained

Three people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a bald man at left is wearing glasses and a light blue blazer, light blue button-down shirt and yellow tie; a woman at center has long dark hair and is wearing glasses and a green and white patterned shirt; a woman at right has short blonde hair and is wearing a leopard print shirt.
Mari Tuschiya
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WXXI News
Rashid Muhammad and Melissa Barrett with host Racquel Stephen on "Connections" on Monday, August 25, 2025
A smiling woman with short blonde hair sits at a desk in front of a microphone wearing a gold necklace and green and white patterned dress.
David Griffin
/
WXXI News
Racquel Stephen guest hosting "Connections with Evan Dawson"

Trust in the American justice system is at a historic low, and even many judges acknowledge systemic racism exists within the courts.

In Rochester, the Judicial Observation Project is working to change that by training community members to observe court proceedings and provide feedback directly to volunteer judges.

Our guests tell us about how the program was built, what it’s accomplished so far, and how it could be a model.

In studio:

Racquel Stephen is WXXI's health, equity and community reporter and producer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Elissa Orlando is a producer for “Connections with Evan Dawson.” She returns part-time to WXXI News after stepping back from a long career in public media and in translational science.
Veronica Volk is a senior producer and editor for WXXI News.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.