FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 5, 2024
CONTACT: media@colorofchange.org
COLOR OF CHANGE DEMANDS GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM RESCIND THE APPOINTMENT OF ALAMEDA COUNTY PROSECUTOR IMPLICATED IN DEATH PENALTY SCANDAL
OAKLAND, CA. – Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced his appointment of 15 Superior Court judges, which includes Alameda County career prosecutor Michael Nieto. Nieto is an implicated prosecutor in the recently exposed decades-long practice of excluding Black and Jewish jurors in death penalty cases in Alameda County.
In a new declaration from Brian M. Pomerantz – appointed defense counsel overseeing the collection and review of voir dire-related discovery in 22 current and eight former capital punishment cases prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office – Pomerantz confirms evidence that Black, Jewish, and lesbian jurors were intentionally tracked and several excluded during Nieto’s prosecution of Christopher Evans. In response to Governor Newsom’s appointment of Nieto to serve as a judge in the Contra Costa County Superior Court, Color Of Change releases the following statement from Policy Strategist, Queen Adesuyi:
“We strongly urge Governor Newsom to rescind his judicial appointment of Michael Nieto, and encourage that vacancy to be filled by another candidate. Since this unsettling scandal has been revealed, we have been calling for all current and former prosecutors and judges implicated in excluding Black, Jewish, or LGBTQ+ jurors from death penalty cases to be appropriately held accountable. This practice was originally exposed back in the early 2000s, but due to inaction and complacency, it was allowed to remain commonplace in the Alameda County District Attorney Office for decades. When accountability is not prioritized, people who engage in unconstitutional, racist or otherwise harmful behavior are allowed to rise in power within the prosecutorial and judicial systems – subjecting more and more Californians to unfair trials and constitutional violations. Prosecutorial misconduct of this magnitude and the inequities within the criminal legal system are intrinsically linked. This is unacceptable and counter to any commitment to justice, equity, and fairness. ”
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Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.