The Installation of Judge Naita Semaj

As Judge of the CIVIL COURT of the CITY of NEW YORK

BRONX COUNTY COURTHOUSE, Thursday January 10, 2019. 

MY INVOCATION:

First in 1958 and subsequently in many of his speeches Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Let us realize that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

However, the first reference to this phrase was by Theodore Parker, a Unitarian minister born in 1810 who called for the abolition of slavery. In 1853 these words were first uttered in a sermon titled “Of Justice and the Conscience”. Yes It is true, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

All wisdom traditions invoke that God is a just God

...We reap what we sow

...Karma is real

This friends is a divine moment that we are privileged to share in… as the long arc of the moral universe on its path towards justice has now bent towards Naita.

Naita Akua (born on a Wednesday, born as a liberator) now stand here before the Creator, standing on the shoulders of her ancestors

●    Those distant and unknown - ashe

●    Those known and still in our memories: Grand Mas Rosamond Booker and Agnes Blake, and grandpa Vincent James - ashe

●    and William Booker - the living witness - ashe

 My we be eternally grateful to have all lived to witness this moment 

MY OPENING REMARKS:

 I am grateful that we live in an era that we are governed by “The Rule of Law”...none of us, not even the president is above the rule of law.

 The Four Universal Principles of The Rule of Law

1. Accountability; All of us, The government as well as private actors are accountable under the law.

 2. Just Laws - The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights.

 3. Open Government: The processes by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced are accessible, fair, and efficient.

4. Accessible & Impartial Dispute Resolution: Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are accessible, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

https://worldjusticeproject.org/about-us/overview/what-rule-law

 What is the role of a judge?

 A judge is to be impartial, fair an unbiased and to follow the laws of the state they are in and the United States Constitution and the Constitution of whatever state they are in.

A Judge is To listen to all evidence without passing judgment until all is heard, In cases with a jury, the judge is responsible for ensuring that the law is followed, and the jury determines the facts.

In cases without a jury, the judge also is the finder of fact.

 Judges must be impartial and strive to properly interpret the meaning, significance, and implications of the law.

Judges must also recognize that justice means more than just interpreting the law — they must also show compassion and understanding for the people on both sides of the case.

 https://www.ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Instruction-and-Assessment-World-Class-Standards/Transition/EIA-CCSS/BlanchetteC-Trial_Alexander-Role_of_a_Judge.pdf

Looking forward we could not have seen where her path was leading to this calling:

 The Queens High School and Holy Childhood High School in Jamaica buried her... not knowing that she was a seed …one imbued with the ancestral DNA of greatness … and she grew and bloomed into a Judge.

 “Still She Rise” - The Words of Maya Angelou

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don’t you take it awful hard

‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I’ve got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame   - I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain    - I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear   - I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear   - I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise  - I rise   - I rise.

AND BY HER RISING, WE ALL RISE.