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| Daughter of Immigrants to Be 1st Black Woman on N.J. Supreme Court | Daughter of Immigrants to Be 1st Black Woman on N.J. Supreme Court |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, is on track to become the first Black woman to sit on New Jersey’s highest court, serving at a time when the state and the country remain deeply divided over racial and economic injustice. | Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, is on track to become the first Black woman to sit on New Jersey’s highest court, serving at a time when the state and the country remain deeply divided over racial and economic injustice. |
| Ms. Pierre-Louis, 39, will also be the only Black judge currently seated on the New Jersey Supreme Court and, as its youngest member, could serve for as many as three decades. | Ms. Pierre-Louis, 39, will also be the only Black judge currently seated on the New Jersey Supreme Court and, as its youngest member, could serve for as many as three decades. |
| A former assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Ms. Pierre-Louis was nominated by Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, to the post in June, as protesters across the nation, outraged by the death of George Floyd while in police custody, were demanding criminal justice reform. | A former assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Ms. Pierre-Louis was nominated by Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Democrat, to the post in June, as protesters across the nation, outraged by the death of George Floyd while in police custody, were demanding criminal justice reform. |
| The State Senate’s Democrat-led Judiciary Committee confirmed Ms. Pierre-Louis’s nomination on Monday at a hearing where lawmakers noted the groundbreaking nature of her appointment, as well as her potential to shape the court’s decisions for the next 30 years. | The State Senate’s Democrat-led Judiciary Committee confirmed Ms. Pierre-Louis’s nomination on Monday at a hearing where lawmakers noted the groundbreaking nature of her appointment, as well as her potential to shape the court’s decisions for the next 30 years. |
| “I am very proud to vote for a new generation, a new balance on the Supreme Court,” said Senator Loretta Weinberg, the majority leader. The Senate is expected to approve the committee’s recommendation on Thursday. | “I am very proud to vote for a new generation, a new balance on the Supreme Court,” said Senator Loretta Weinberg, the majority leader. The Senate is expected to approve the committee’s recommendation on Thursday. |
| Ms. Pierre-Louis, who grew up in working-class Irvington, N.J., said in an interview soon after her nomination that she was aware her background would play a role in the way she approached cases. | Ms. Pierre-Louis, who grew up in working-class Irvington, N.J., said in an interview soon after her nomination that she was aware her background would play a role in the way she approached cases. |
| “Having a perspective and understanding of what it is like to live in Irvington, or other places,” she added, “it just informs how you experience many things in life.” | “Having a perspective and understanding of what it is like to live in Irvington, or other places,” she added, “it just informs how you experience many things in life.” |
| Ms. Pierre-Louis, a partner at a private law firm who lives with her husband and their two young sons in Mount Laurel, N.J., spoke Creole before she learned English. | Ms. Pierre-Louis, a partner at a private law firm who lives with her husband and their two young sons in Mount Laurel, N.J., spoke Creole before she learned English. |
| She moved as a child from Brooklyn to Irvington, a northern New Jersey township just west of Newark, where her family bought a house. Her father owned and drove a cab, she said, and her mother transported patients at a New York City hospital. | |
| When asked in the interview about the protests that followed Mr. Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, she said, “I think that what people are seeking is a society where everyone is treated fairly and justly and equally under the law.” | When asked in the interview about the protests that followed Mr. Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, she said, “I think that what people are seeking is a society where everyone is treated fairly and justly and equally under the law.” |
| She added that as a judge she would “look with a very critical eye at cases involving search warrants and whether there was probable cause.” | She added that as a judge she would “look with a very critical eye at cases involving search warrants and whether there was probable cause.” |
| On Monday, she told lawmakers at the hearing that as a federal prosecutor she learned to make tough choices, including whether cases “should be pursued, and whether those cases should be charged — or should not.” | On Monday, she told lawmakers at the hearing that as a federal prosecutor she learned to make tough choices, including whether cases “should be pursued, and whether those cases should be charged — or should not.” |
| Mr. Murphy has reappointed two sitting justices, but Ms. Pierre-Louis is his first nomination to the high court, which has not had a Black justice since former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, refused in 2010 to extend the term of John E. Wallace Jr. | Mr. Murphy has reappointed two sitting justices, but Ms. Pierre-Louis is his first nomination to the high court, which has not had a Black justice since former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, refused in 2010 to extend the term of John E. Wallace Jr. |
| As a young graduate of Rutgers Law School in Camden, N.J., Ms. Pierre-Louis worked as a law clerk for Justice Wallace. She noted during the hearing that he remained a mentor. | As a young graduate of Rutgers Law School in Camden, N.J., Ms. Pierre-Louis worked as a law clerk for Justice Wallace. She noted during the hearing that he remained a mentor. |
| Ms. Pierre-Louis, who called the nomination the “honor of a lifetime,” would replace Justice Walter F. Timpone, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 later this year. | Ms. Pierre-Louis, who called the nomination the “honor of a lifetime,” would replace Justice Walter F. Timpone, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 later this year. |
| It is not her first time breaking barriers. As an assistant federal prosecutor, she was the first woman of color to hold the posts of attorney-in-charge in both the Camden and Trenton offices of the U.S. attorney for New Jersey. | It is not her first time breaking barriers. As an assistant federal prosecutor, she was the first woman of color to hold the posts of attorney-in-charge in both the Camden and Trenton offices of the U.S. attorney for New Jersey. |
| She said her humble upbringing and immigrant roots had shaped her point of view. | She said her humble upbringing and immigrant roots had shaped her point of view. |
| “It’s part of who I am,” she said. “It’s part of my identity.” | “It’s part of who I am,” she said. “It’s part of my identity.” |
| Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he originally thought Ms. Pierre-Louis was too young for the position, being at least 20 years younger than the next youngest person on the bench. | Senator Nicholas P. Scutari, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he originally thought Ms. Pierre-Louis was too young for the position, being at least 20 years younger than the next youngest person on the bench. |
| But, he said, interviews and a background check convinced him that she was more than prepared. | But, he said, interviews and a background check convinced him that she was more than prepared. |
| “I haven’t found one person to say one thing negative about this nominee,” Senator Scutari said, “and that is hard.” | “I haven’t found one person to say one thing negative about this nominee,” Senator Scutari said, “and that is hard.” |
| During the hearing, she was asked to defend her decision to wear an orange ribbon to a news conference that Mr. Murphy held in June to announce her nomination. She said she understood the ribbon, promoted by a group called Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety, to be a symbol of support for victims of gun violence. | During the hearing, she was asked to defend her decision to wear an orange ribbon to a news conference that Mr. Murphy held in June to announce her nomination. She said she understood the ribbon, promoted by a group called Orange Ribbons for Gun Safety, to be a symbol of support for victims of gun violence. |
| “I was not and did not intend to take any particular sides,” she told lawmakers. | “I was not and did not intend to take any particular sides,” she told lawmakers. |
| But she was pressed by a Republican senator, Michael J. Doherty, about the group’s goal, as stated on its website, to advocate for “common-sense gun safety” by promoting policies and candidates for political office. He asked her whether she could remain an impartial judicial referee on legal issues involving guns. | But she was pressed by a Republican senator, Michael J. Doherty, about the group’s goal, as stated on its website, to advocate for “common-sense gun safety” by promoting policies and candidates for political office. He asked her whether she could remain an impartial judicial referee on legal issues involving guns. |
| “You have to be independent of Governor Murphy,” Senator Doherty said about participants at the event wearing orange ribbons they were handed. “He put you in a really bad spot.” | “You have to be independent of Governor Murphy,” Senator Doherty said about participants at the event wearing orange ribbons they were handed. “He put you in a really bad spot.” |
| She was also asked about her prosecution of a reported sexual assault of a visibly drunken female member of the National Guard at a New Jersey Army military base known as Fort Dix. The man accused of the assault, a fellow member of the National Guard, was not convicted. | She was also asked about her prosecution of a reported sexual assault of a visibly drunken female member of the National Guard at a New Jersey Army military base known as Fort Dix. The man accused of the assault, a fellow member of the National Guard, was not convicted. |
| “I was never afraid of taking on the difficult cases if I believed that it was the right thing to do,” she said after explaining why the case was hard to prove. “I believed the witnesses in the case. I believed their statements.” | “I was never afraid of taking on the difficult cases if I believed that it was the right thing to do,” she said after explaining why the case was hard to prove. “I believed the witnesses in the case. I believed their statements.” |
| “I still believe that it was the right thing to do,” she added. | “I still believe that it was the right thing to do,” she added. |