'I Know That You Are Tired': Black Chief Justice Writes to Connecticut's Judicial Branch About Racial Upheaval
"These are troubling times," Chief Justice Richard Robinson wrote in a letter to the judicial branch.
June 10, 2020 at 06:50 PM
4 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Connecticut Law Tribune
Richard Robinson is a black man.
He's also chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court—which puts him in a unique position as groups around the world protest the latest death of an unarmed black person at the hands of police.
"I know that there are some people who do not believe that there is racial injustice in the United States," Robinson wrote in a letter addressed to members of the judicial branch. "However, as the events in my own life, as well as events in this country throughout the years have informed me, indeed there is."
Robinson is Connecticut's first black Supreme Court chief justice. He became judge of the Connecticut Appellate Court in 2007, before rising to the state Supreme Court in December 2013. He wrote that two events have bookmarked his life, showing the arch of the nation's progress: the election of Barack Obama as the United States' first black president, and the "torture and killing of Emmett Till," a 14-year-old boy who's 1955 lynching in Mississippi galvanized a national civil rights movement.
"People who do not believe that we have a racial injustice problem are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts," the chief justice wrote. "Simply put, the facts are with me."
|Read more: Meet Richard Robinson, Connecticut's New Chief Justice
Robinson heads Connecticut's high court at a time where the national and international spotlight is on the fallout over the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by police in May during an arrest in Minneapolis.
"These are troubling times," Robinson wrote in a letter sent to employees of Connecticut's judicial system. "Our senses have been bombarded with a constant stream of scenes of horrific injustices that have—and still are—occurring across this nation."
Without mentioning Floyd's killing, the jurist referenced the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his famous line: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Robinson also said he is proud of the work being started to address important issues, and he encouraged people to keep moving forward.
"I know that I am asking a lot of you. I know that you are tired, you are weary and maybe even rightfully disillusioned, but this is a battle for the nation's soul," Robinson wrote. "We must double and even triple our efforts to provide equal justice for all those that we serve."
In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont has responded by creating a task force to propose reforms and increase police accountability. Meanwhile, Connecticut U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are set to introduce a series of police reform bills, amid national riots and protests over the killing, the CT Mirror reported.
And Connecticut's Chief State's Attorney Richard J. Colangelo released a public statement late Monday, condemning the incident that led to Floyd's death.
"The actions of those officers are reprehensible, heart-wrenching, and criminal," Colangelo stated. "There is nothing to defend. There is nothing to debate. I share in the sadness and outrage of those here and across the country."
|Read more: Chief State's Attorney Issues Statement Regarding Death of George Floyd
On Wednesday, the Connecticut Bar Association announced it has also established a Policing Task Force consisting of community and law-enforcement leaders to engage in an "earnest and frank dialogue about where we find ourselves in 2020."
In a press release, the bar said the task force will "facilitate conversations with a diverse group of community leaders, law enforcement officials and attorneys to hear the concerns raised by community members and to consider potential solutions in order to recommend reforms to policies, procedures, training, and culture in police departments. The goal is to ensure that our police departments have the policies and practices that best support fairness, procedural justice, transparency, and accountability."
The chief justice, meanwhile, suggested he felt obligated to speak out, while also making it clear he was "not disparaging law enforcement or our judicial systems."
"I love this country enough to speak out when it is not living up to its ideals. I love this country despite its imperfections, but that does not mean that I am willing to accept them," Robinson wrote. "In fact, I and am ready willing and able to do the work to eradicate them. To paraphrase Albert Camus, I can love my country and still love justice."
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