The Supreme Court held a swearing in ceremony for Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the constitutional oath and outgoing Justice Stephen Breyer did the judicial oath. Watch her swearing in below.
The soon-to-be-constructed African American Veterans Monument, located at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, has received a $50,000 donation from the Carl & Carol Montante Charitable Fund. The donation will be used for the long-term maintenance of the monument and surrounding property and continues the Montante Family’s long-standing philanthropic commitment to the communities of Western New York.
“It has been an exciting year for the African American Veterans Monument,” highlighted Warren K. Galloway, chairman of the Monument Committee. “Earlier this year, we successfully reached our funding needs for construction. This donation from the Montante Family ensures the long-term sustainability of the monument as a symbol of unity in our city.”
The monument will bring awareness and honors the contributions made by African American Veterans. African American’s have served in all five branches and have fought in all 12 of the United States’ military conflicts since the country’s first war. The monument will honor those who have served and are currently serving in all five branches of the military both in war and peace times, whether they enlisted voluntarily or were drafted. The monument will consist of twelve black 10-foot concrete pillars, representing each of America’s armed conflicts, and will be the first of its kind in the nation.
“This monument is important for the City of Buffalo in so many ways,” noted Madeline O. Scott, who sits on the board for the Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier. “For years the US military was segregated. As someone who personally had several family members from New York, Michigan and Ohio who fought in American wars, this monument brings not only awareness to the contributions of African Americans but highlights that all American’s provided the same service and sacrifice for our country. The monument is intended to be a unifier.”
“We are proud to support this noble monument that honors the service of African American Veterans and will be a source of civic pride that will be appreciated on the Buffalo waterfront for generations to come,” noted Michael J. Montante, CEO of Uniland. “It will be an honorable addition to Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, a place of reverence and appreciation for the U.S. Armed Services and a renowned cultural treasure as the largest inland naval park in America.”
Work on the monument is underway and the completed project is scheduled to be unveiled September 24, 2022. Additional information on the monument can be found at www.aavmwny.org or by calling 716-800-1137.
The Montante Family are the founders of Uniland Development Company, Buffalo’s largest and most reputable commercial real estate developer. Founded in 1974, Uniland owns and manages over 300 buildings serving more than 400 clients across Western New York. The Carl & Carol Montante Charitable Fund is a family philanthropic initiative with the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo.
A new public opinion poll indicates that Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock is leading Republican challenger and football legend Herschel Walker by double digits in battleground Georgia’s crucial Senate showdown.
The survey by Quinnipiac University released on Wednesday also suggests that the 2022 gubernatorial rematch between conservative Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger and voting rights champion Stacey Abrams is a dead heat.
Warnock leads Walker 54%-44% among Peach State registered voters, according to the poll which was conducted June 23-27. That’s a dramatic swing from Quinnipiac’s last poll in the Georgia Senate race, which indicated the contest was basically tied in January.
The survey indicates that Warnock’s overall 10-point lead is fueled by a 62%-33% advantage over Walker among independent voters, and a double-digit lead among females compared to Walker’s single-digit margin among males. Warnock leads 88%-10% among Black voters, while Walker wins the support of White voters 62%-35%.
Warnock enjoys a 49%-37% favorable/unfavorable rating, while Walker’s underwater at 37%-42%.
UPDATED JUNE 30, 2022 with swearing in video!
Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn as the Supreme Court's 116th justice Thursday, just as the man she is replacing, Justice Stephen Breyer, retires.
The judicial pas de deux is set to take place at noon, the moment Breyer said in a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday that his retirement will take effect after nearly 28 years on the nation's highest court.
In a ceremony the court said it will stream live on its website, Jackson will recite two oaths required of Supreme Court justices, one administered by Breyer and the other by Chief Justice John Roberts.
Jackson will be able to begin work immediately, but the court will have just finished the bulk of its work until the fall, apart from emergency appeals that occasionally arise. That will give her time to settle in and familiarize herself with the roughly two dozen cases the court already has agreed to hear starting in October as well as hundreds of appeals that will pile up over the summer.
Civil-rights leader Bayard Rustin and three other men who were sentenced to work on a chain gang in North Carolina after they launched the first of the freedom rides to challenge Jim Crow laws had their sentences posthumously vacated Friday, more than seven decades later.
During a special session Friday leading up to the weekend celebration of Juneteenth, North Carolina Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour dismissed charges against civil rights leader Bayard Rustin, Andrew Johnson, James Felmet and Igal Roodenko.
Judge Baddour, along with his decision, issued an emotional apology.
“Today’s session is an opportunity for us to make an amends publicly… We failed these men in Orange County, in Chapel Hill,” said Baddour. “We failed their cause and we failed to deliver justice in our community. And for that, I apologize.”
“While this judicial action is taking place 75 years after the injustice occurred, never should we falter in examining past wrongs, seeking reparation, and lifting those heavy burdens from our hearts and minds so that future generations may know justice,” said Renee Price, chairman of the Orange County Board of Commissioners.
