CDR – Partners with Black Women led Orgs and joined letter with 186 Civil and Human Rights Organizations Supporting Judge Jackson’s as confirmation hearings begin Monday

On Monday, March 21, 2022 the nation will enter into an historic time as the first Black woman Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) confirmation hearings begin. The Senate Judiciary Committee Chaired by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) will start the process of the confirmation of Judge Brown and civil and human rights activists will begin the call for a swift nomination with rallies in front of SCOTUS that same morning.

CDR is proud to join as a partner with Black women led national organizations – National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Black Women’s Roundtable (BWR) and She Will Rise as they bring together civil and human rights organizations and activists to rally in front of SCOTUS in honor of Judge Jackson’s confirmation hearing and to tell the world of our support for her. Dara Baldwin, CDR’s Director of National Policy is a member of the She Will Rise Collective.

On Wednesday, March 17th the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights sent a coalition letter of support for the confirmation of Judge Jackson to the Senate and CDR was among the 187 signed organizations. In addition to this CDR sent our own letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee expressing our strong support for Judge Jackson’s confirmation.

From the letter:
Judge Jackson’s opinions have demonstrated an understanding of the rights of people with disabilities. The American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) will be 32 years old in July and yet we as a country continue to have issues and concerns with implementing this historic civil right. The work of Judge Jackson on disability cases shows her vast knowledge of people’s civil and human rights. It is reflective of her reputation as a fair-minded jurist.

Just a few cases:
• Pierce v. District of Columbia (September 2015), Judge Jackson held that prison officials had acted with “deliberate indifference” to an incarcerated deaf individual’s need for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

• In Equal Rights Center v. Uber Technologies, (March 2021) she denied Uber’s motion to dismiss allegations that their wheelchair accessible service is significantly less reliable than its standard service, a discrepancy which would violate the ADA

• In United States v. LaVance Greene, (February 2021) she granted compassionate release to an elderly incarcerated individual who had served nearly 50 years of his sentence, demonstrated his rehabilitation while incarcerated, and suffered from several serious medical conditions

Read CDR’s Letter of Support here.

Follow all of the actions and get information on all of the confirmation work – over the next few weeks via CDR’s social media platforms.

Please send any questions to Dara Baldwin, Director of National Policy – dara.baldwin@ncdr.us