S.C.: Lawsuit possible to Get More Black Judges, Jesse Jackson says

The Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke Tuesday with The State’s editorial board and reporters. He said he plans to return to South Carolina. more often to help build a coalition to challenge inequities, citing such issues as a lack of diversity in the judiciary and the imbalance of blacks in prisons. Here are excerpts from the wide-ranging, 1¼-hour interview: On the lack of black judges in the state’s major courts - JACKSON: “On the same day we were losing lives in Iraq fighting for proportional representation and inclusive government, there was a walkout here in Columbia because of a scheme that denies fair representation of judges. Just as we in a democracy govern with the consent of the governed, we must judge with the consent of the judged. The present scheme, of course, results in what was essentially embarrassing for some, humiliating of others and just ... the way we do business for others. But it’s not fair. All we really want is representative democracy. We must look at litigation and legislation and demonstration,” he said, referring to the possibility of a lawsuit to overturn the state’s system. [more]