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Citizens for Judicial Fairness

Taking on the “Old Boys’ Club” in Delaware

After saving thousands of TransPerfect employee jobs, Tusk launched a years-long campaign to diversify and reform Delaware’s courts.

Press Hits

Del. Governor's Chancery Pick Blasted By Diversity Advocates

Del. Governor's Chancery Pick Blasted By Diversity Advocates

The governor of Delaware nominated the managing partner of Block & Leviton LLP's Wilmington office Friday to serve as a vice chancellor on the esteemed Chancery Court, a move quickly blasted by advocates who had wanted a Black jurist named to a bench that has lacked diversity over its 230-year history.


The Stakes

Delaware’s court system is one of the least diverse in the country, with just one Black justice serving on the state’s Chancery and Supreme Courts in 230 years of existence.

 

The Process

Tusk refocused the energy of the 5,000+ member grassroots advocacy it formed to help save TransPerfect to fight for systemic reforms. The group was rebranded as Citizens for Judicial Fairness and the goal was to bring transparency and equity to Delaware’s courts and criminal justice system. We partnered with famed civil rights activists Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III as well as local pastors, activists and grassroots groups to draw attention to the issue. We also launched multi-million dollar TV advertising campaigns urging diverse nominations to the state’s top courts.

Over the next month, Citizens for Judicial Fairness, formerly known as Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, is expected to spend a half-million dollars on advertisements around the latest opening on the Chancery Court. The group has been pushing for more diversity in the ranks — there are no people of color on the court.
Politico
By Christopher Cadelago

The Conclusion

Through relentless advocacy and working hand-in-hand with groups on the ground in Delaware, we have shifted the conversation around judicial diversity in the First State and brought our fight for equity to audiences in Delaware and nationwide.