DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After the recent nomination of former Skadden lawyer, Lori Will, to the Chancery Court, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware joined with Pastor Blaine Hackett of St. John African Methodist Church along with community members to protest the decision and the lack of diversity in Delaware’s court system.
The protest came a full two years after the first Black Chancery Court Justice, Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, had her seat filled by a white man, Paul Fioravanti. That appointment made it so that the Court to no longer had any Black representation. Two years later, that remains the case.
Over 2,000 Delaware residents petitioned for Governor Carney to add racial diversity to the Chancery Court to reflect the state’s minority populations, but to no avail, despite the Court making decisions that affect thousands of Black Delawareans and Black workers across the country. The lack of diversity in the state’s justice system is glaring, with Black Delawareans making up 60% of the state’s prison population, but only 15% of the judiciary.
Said Chris Coffey, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager, “We are proud to stand with Pastor Hackett to protest the ongoing lack of representation on the Chancery Court. For two years, a court that makes decisions affecting thousands of Black Delawareans has not had a single Black representative, an egregious mistake contributing to a massive lack of trust in the state’s court system. Pastor Hackett is doing an invaluable service shining a light on this injustice, and we will continue supporting him. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we urge our leaders to stand up and change things when a system is unjust – we hope the State Senate takes these concerns seriously when they consider Lori Will’s nomination.”
Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives, and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org.