We were delighted to learn that President Joe Biden selected Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to the Supreme Court, setting in motion a historic confirmation process for the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in the nation.
Jackson, 51, currently sits on DC's federal appellate court and had been considered the front-runner for the vacancy. We also very much like her background as Federal Defender because we know from our own experience the vital role Federal Defenders play. We understand of course that one judge alone cannot make all the difference, still it gives us hope and it is at least a step in the right direction.
Although prison conditions are definitely not one of our issues as per our original agreement with the DOC, we did participate in a national survey under the heading of Capital Punishment and Social Rights Research Initiative led by Dr. Barbara Laubenthal, University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Rick Halperin, Director of the Embrey Human Rights Program at SMU Dallas and Dr. Louis Siebrits, SMU Dallas. The issues addressed were comprehensive and once the project is published we will post a link to it.
Before all too long now you will be able to read and enjoy the latest edition of our quarterly newsletter Wings of Hope. It always feels good to all of us to have made it happen one more time.
In closing and as always, we continue to thank all our generous donors who either gave by going to our website and using the “donate” button or who gave directly. Thank you also to all who took the time to read our notes, commented, liked and shared them on Facebook. You encourage us and make all the difference. Stay safe!
Esther