Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Declares Victory in Fight to Put First Black Justice on Delaware's Supreme Court

DOVER, Del., Oct. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following Delaware Governor Carney's nomination of current Court of Chancery Vice Chancellor Tamika Montgomery-Reeves to the Delaware Supreme Court, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey has released the following statement:

"Today's announcement is a big step forward for progress in Delaware. For years the state's Supreme Court has lagged behind, propping up a status quo that was inequitable for too many Delawareans. By nominating the state's first African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court, Governor Carney has heeded the call of thousands of our members for more diversity in Delaware's Justice System.

But there is much, much more to do.

One Supreme Court appointee alone will not undo decades of systemic issues in the Delaware judicial system. As noted in a 2019 Brennan Center for Justice report on state Supreme Court diversity, a historic lack of diverse representation in state Supreme Courts has led to a "deep distrust of courts among African Americans."

While Governor Carney's nomination of Montgomery-Reeves is a vital first step, it must be accompanied by a persistent commitment to diversity and common-sense reforms to increase transparency and accountability in the Delaware courts.

While courts all over the Country, including at the Federal level, use randomized wheel spin to select which judge hears a case, the Delaware Chancery Court allows judges to hear cases based on their own self-interest, which continues to beg significant questions of fairness. There is still no electronic media allowed in the courts, no financial disclosures for judges, and no ethics oversight committee to investigate and root out corruption.

Today is a monumental victory for our nearly 4,000 members who have voiced their outrage at the status quo, but it is not enough. Our message is being heard by those in power and our voices will only grow louder until Delaware is fully done with the old boys' clubs, done with opaque judicial processes, and brought in to the 21st century."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 2,700 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 issue. 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.

Contact: Chris Coffey, 917-972-7514
[email protected]

SOURCE Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware

Related Links

http://www.delawareforbusiness.org

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