Daughter of immigrants sworn in as 1st Black woman on NJ Supreme Court

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Swearing in for 1st Black woman on NJ high court

Fabiana Pierre-Louis took the oath of office Tuesday with her husband and sons by her side.

TRENTON, New Jersey (WABC) -- The first Black woman ever to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court has been sworn into office.

Fabiana Pierre-Louis took the oath of office Tuesday with her husband and sons by her side.

She was confirmed unanimously by the state senate last week after being nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy in June.

"I'm incredibly proud that the Senate has unanimously confirmed Fabiana Pierre-Louis as the next Associate Justice to serve on New Jersey's Supreme Court," Murphy said in a statement after the senate confirmation. "Fabiana is an exceptionally talented attorney, and will now have the historic distinction of becoming the first Black woman to be seated on our state's highest court. I am honored to have put her name forward, and to see someone with a different set of life experiences and perspectives on our Supreme Court, a judicial body where New Jerseyans from all walks of life turn for justice. I also thank Senate President Sweeney and Chairman Scutari for their support and conducting a thorough, fair, and open confirmation process."

Pierre-Louis, who is 39 years old, is also the youngest person to ever serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court.

"The thought of actually sitting on the court one day was not something that came across my mind as a law clerk," Pierre-Louis told Eyewitness News earlier this year. "I think my end game as a law student was to become an attorney and hopefully make an impact on the legal profession, in some way."