Morris County honors Black law pioneers with unveiling of courthouse exhibit
MORRISTOWN — The Morris County Courthouse paid tribute to those who paved the way for future generations of Black members in the legal profession with the opening of a new exhibit in conjunction with its annual Law Day celebration this week.
The “Black Pioneers in the Law” exhibit, located in the jury assembly room of the courthouse, features display cases and posters of news articles, photographs and other artifacts recognizing the contributions of Black lawyers and other courthouse employees throughout New Jersey.
The exhibit, which debuted on Wednesday, is on loan from the Bethel Church of Morristown and will be open through June 19 in honor of the Juneteenth holiday.
The unveiling honored two prominent Black law professionals with New Jersey ties: Rashad Shabaka-Burns, former trial court administrator of the Morris/Sussex Vicinage, and Donita Judge, associate executive director of the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights and a graduate of Rutgers University Law School.
Both were touted as pioneers, but each downplayed that label and credited the Black men and women who came before them with creating a path for their careers.
"It was their collective struggles and sacrifices professionally − proving themselves over and over again, enduring obstacles − that cracked the door of opportunity for me, some random guy from the Fourth Ward of Paterson, to walk through," Shabaka-Burns said. "I stood on their mighty shoulders as I advanced my career in the judiciary, and hopefully I've made them proud, and their sacrifices meaningful and fulfilled."
Judge has served as legal counsel for several voter-suppression lawsuits over the past two decades, including in the 2008 presidential election and North Carolina NAACP v. McCrory, a 2013 case that struck down particularly restrictive legislation. She previously worked for more than 20 years as a flight attendant but left the field after the Sept. 11 attacks, during which her best friend was killed aboard Flight 93.
Judge acknowledged that her path to becoming an attorney was not the most straightforward, but she feels as though she was always destined to serve in her current role.
"I did not choose to be a voting-rights attorney," she said at the ceremony. "Somewhere along the way, I was chosen."
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The "Black Pioneers" opening followed the courthouse's celebration of Law Day, commemorated every year on May 1 to honor the role of the law in the creation of the United States. Wednesday's speakers highlighted the increased opportunities for marginalized groups in the courts within the past 50 years while recognizing the work that still needs to be done.
State Superior Court Judge Michael Paul Wright, for example, hopes to see more diversity in the Morris/Sussex Vicinage. He became the district's first Black judge in 2007; more than 15 years later, he remains the only one.
"If a community is to trust its local judiciary, then the bench must reflect, to some degree, the makeup of that community," Wright said.
Glenn Grant, administrative director of the courts for the New Jersey Judiciary, encouraged the public to continue what he called "changing the realm of the possible." When people strive to become pioneers in their field, he said, it opens up opportunities for others to follow the same path.
"I ask all of you to think about embracing this new philosophy, to continue to think about changing the realm of the possible for either you or someone you love," Grant said. "Because when we do that, we make Morris County better, we make the state of New Jersey better, we make the United States better."
Kyle Morel is a local reporter covering Morris and Sussex counties.
Email: kmorel@njherald.com; Twitter: @KMorelNJH
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Morris County NJ honors Black law pioneers with new exhibit
