DOVER, Del..--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, grassroots advocacy group Citizens for Judicial Fairness joined forces with famed civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and local activists Pastor Blaine Hackett and Kendra Ray, sister of Jeremy McDole, to denounce the scheduled confirmation of Nathan Cook to the Delaware Court of Chancery.
The confirmation hearing is scheduled for 1:30 PM and Cook is expected to be confirmed easily, despite the fact that his appointment to the Chancery means it will remain all-white. Ray, Hackett, and a representative from Sharpton’s National Action Network will make public comments at the hearing demanding the Senate not confirm Cook given the lack of diversity and equity on the Court.
Said Reverend Al Sharpton, “I am deeply disappointed that today, equity will once again be denied on the Court of Chancery. It is shameful for the Chancery Court to remain all-white in 2022 when Delaware is 40% people of color and the decisions the court makes affect millions of Black and brown employees across the country. It is imperative that Delaware’s leaders, starting with Governor Carney, recognize this egregious wrong and begin taking meaningful steps to restore trust in its justice system through diverse court appointments.”
Said police reform and racial justice activist Keandra Ray, “I’m testifying before the Senate Executive Committee today because the lack of diversity in our courts is disgusting. Governor Carney and his cronies in the Senate should be ashamed of this appointment. I’m not going to stop fighting until our courts actually look like us and deliver the justice we deserve.”
“230 years of an all-white Chancery Court – and only a single Black justice in the court’s entire history – is a stain on the state of Delaware and an indictment of Governor Carney’s failed leadership,” said Citizens for Judicial Fairness Campaign Manager Chris Coffey. “Delawareans deserve leaders who talk the talk, not just walk the walk, on judicial equity and fairness. We’re going to keep up our efforts to fight the Delaware ‘Old Boys Club’ that excludes and ignores the state’s most vulnerable communities until we see real progress and accountability.”
