MIAMI (WSVN) - Following the death of Florida’s first Black female federal judge, a civil rights attorney is urging President Biden to nominate another Black woman to serve on the bench. The call for action is taking center stage in South Florida.
According to reports, of the four open and soon-to-be vacant judge seats in South Florida, people are hoping the vacant seat will be filled by another Black woman.
“Diversity in America is a fact,” attorney Ben Crump said.
Members of the Black Bar Association in South Florida are pushing to continue the legacy of diversity on the Southern District Court in Florida.
Only one Black woman has served as a federal judge in its 176-year history.
The Honorable Marcia Cooke was confirmed by a 96-0 senate vote in 2004, nominated by former President George W. Bush.
Earlier this year, Cooke passed away at 68-years old from cancer after an 18-year career on the bench.
But her untimely death left a void and now, more than a half a dozen legal associations are calling on President Biden to nominate another black woman to fill her seat.
“President Joseph R. Biden has the ripe opportunity to ensure that glass ceiling remains shattered,” said Dwayne Robinson, Judicial Diversity Initiative Chair.
The Judicial Diversity Initiative, compiled of members of the Black Bar Association in Broward, Miami and Palm Beach County, pressed the importance of upholding influence and respect when appointing a new judge.
“In a district that serves 6.3 million people, we urge the administration to seek out at least one who has walked the road of a Black woman in America,” said Bacardi Jackson of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Long underrepresented communities deserve representation.”
If Biden chooses to follow suit, this would be the second Black woman endorsed by his administration.
“We stand with and for the mission articulated by this administration of ensuring that the federal judiciary looks more like the nation as a whole,” Jackson said.
Last year, South Florida native Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black female justice to serve on the supreme court.
“We have to always continue to make the American promise of liberty and justice for all real,” Crump said.
According to the Judicial Diversity Initiative, three Black women are finalists to become a judge in the Southern District of Florida.
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