John,

This week, the Innocence Project’s former senior litigation counsel, Nina Morrison, was sworn in as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. It was a proud moment for all of us at the Innocence Project, and we know she’ll make an exceptional judge.

But this is also a big win for our criminal legal system overall. Read more from Innocence Project Executive Director Christina Swarns on how Judge Morrison’s confirmation will bring a much-needed perspective to the bench.

“In her 20 years at the Innocence Project, Ms. Morrison was an extraordinary force for justice. She helped free dozens of innocent people from wrongful conviction, was an incredible collaborator and leader, and pushed our legal system toward greater accuracy and equity — and she balanced it all while being a mother.”

Earlier this year, we saw the impact that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation had on so many. In addition to being the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, Justice Jackson is just one of two Supreme Court justices with a criminal defense background.

Research shows that diverse groups are better decision makers than homogeneous groups. And both Judge Morrison and Justice Jackson add a greater diversity of thought and experience to our judicial system.

As someone who has seen, firsthand, the failings of the criminal legal system, Judge Morrison will bring her much-needed perspective and experience to the federal bench.

“Judge Morrison’s experience — of exposing and challenging the failures of the criminal legal system, including deeply entrenched racial bias and police and prosecutorial misconduct — is vitally important to judicial decision-making because she has seen, through her work at the Innocence Project, the flaws and cracks in our legal system up close time and time again.”

Please, read more of Christina’s reflections on this exciting occasion and why it’s so important to continue bringing more diversity to the bench.

Thank you so much,

– The Innocence Project Team