Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton is urging Delaware Governor John Carney to fill two upcoming vacancies on the state Supreme Court with justices of color.
The retirement announcement last week of Justice James T. Vaughan Jr., and the expected move of current Supreme Court Justice Tamika Montgomery to the US Court of Appeals could leave the Delaware’s Supreme Court without a justice of color.
Rev. Sharpton was joned by Citizens for Judicial Fairness in calling on Gov. Carney to ensure fair representation throughout Delaware’s judiciary:
“Delaware prides itself on its trailblazing constitutional legacy, yet the principles of justice and equal opportunity enshrined within that hallowed parchment are suddenly at risk in the First State. Refusal to act at this urgent crossroads will kill diversity on the state’s highest court – and an all-white Supreme Court would be a terrible stain on democracy, Shapton stated. “Governor Carney must seize this pivotal moment and nominate two justices of color to fill both of these looming Supreme Court vacancies. Should Gov. Carney fail to ensure representation across the state’s judiciary, he will send the awful message that in Delaware, bragging about the Constitution matters far more than the rights and values protected by it.”
Citizens has pivoted from criticism of Delaware Chancery Court arising from the sale of New York-based TransPerfect to pressing for more judges of color in Delaware.
