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Civil Rights Icon Rev. Al Sharpton Joins Citizens for Judicial Fairness to Demand Gov. Carney Diversify Delaware's Supreme Court

Rev. Al Sharpton: "An All-White Supreme Court Would Be a Terrible Stain on Democracy"

Sharpton Urges Appointment of Justices of Color to Fill First State's Two Looming High Court Vacancies

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Respected civil rights activist and leader Reverend Al Sharpton issued the below statement today, urging Delaware Governor John Carney to fill two upcoming vacancies on the state's Supreme Court with justices of color.

The retirement announcement last week of Justice James T. Vaughan Jr., and the expected elevation of current Supreme Court Justice Tamika Montgomery to the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, threaten to leave Delaware's Supreme Court without a justice of color on the bench – a shameful distinction for a state with a nonwhite population of more than 30% – including 23% Black and 10% Latino.

Rev. Sharpton stands alongside 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. 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."

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Citizens for Judicial Fairness

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