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Published April 8, 2022

Following this week’s historic Supreme Court confirmation, Rutgers experts explore a variety of issues.

Stacy Hawkins, vice dean and professor of law at Rutgers Law School–Camden, tells CNN: “After witnessing the election of the first Black president and then the first Black and first female vice president, it is truly extraordinary as a Black woman to now bear witness to the first Black woman being confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. These things seemed almost inconceivable in my youth, and now they are a reality. Judge Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court silences all of the critics who said that no Black woman was worthy of this honor. It affirms to Black women and Black girls everywhere that we can go as far as our talents will take us. But perhaps most important, it signals to the American people how important it is for judges to reflect the rich diversity of our nation in all its dimensions.”

CNN | The many joys of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s historic confirmation

Forbes cites a Conversation essay by Alexander Hinton, director of the Rutgers Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights, about “a real threat that Russia will commit genocide in Ukraine.” Writing that “there is reason to believe it may already be taking place,” Hinton tells readers that “Russia has a long history of mass violence against Ukrainians” and that genocide often follows “propaganda and language that devalues and demonizes target populations.”

Forbes | Zelensky Accuses Russia Of Genocide As Allegations Of Civilian Killings Mount

In a HuffPost story about how the gender wage gap widens as women get older and have children, Sarah Small, a research associate at Rutgers’ Center for Women and Work, says, “Many women under 30, especially in major metropolitan areas, do not yet have children,” adding that once they have children, “they often leave the labor force to provide child care, meaning they have gaps in their résumé during which their male counterparts are getting promotions and raises.”

HuffPost | The 22 Cities In America Where Young Women Earn As Much As Or More Than Men

A Los Angeles Times story quotes Rutgers professor Rebecca Givan about recent labor victories at Amazon, which could rewrite the game plan for union organizers nationwide. But how will the corporate world respond? “It’s clear Amazon will keep fighting,” says Givan. “They’re not conceding that workers have a right to organize. It looks like the legal questions they’ve raised…suggest they’re trying to undermine the entire authority of NLRB [the National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the voting process].”

Los Angeles Times | ‘I hope that everybody’s paying attention now’: Amazon workers cinch historic union vote

A move by Capitol Hill staffers toward unionization could bring much-needed diversity to the Hill, says James Jones, an assistant professor of African American and African studies at Rutgers University–Newark. Jones tells Time that low pay on the Hill means that most Congressional staffers are “people who are privileged,” all but ensuring a lack of racial diversity. This stymies Congress’s ability to craft legislation on issues like criminal justice reform, home lending laws, and health care that considers the unique circumstances of marginalized populations.

TIME | Inside the Capitol Hill Staffers’ Effort to Unionize Congress

 

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