APABA-PA Applauds the Nomination of Fabiana Pierre-Louis to the New Jersey Supreme Court

June 24, 2020

The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Pennsylvania (APABA-PA) applauds the nomination of Fabiana Pierre-Louis by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy to serve as a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court. If confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, Ms. Pierre-Louis will be the first Black woman to serve on New Jersey’s highest court, the first Black jurist to serve in a decade, and only the third Black jurist in the court’s history. APABA-PA believes that an effective judiciary is one that embodies the diversity of the residents that it serves, and we encourage the New Jersey Senate to confirm Ms. Pierre-Louis’ nomination without delay. 

Ms. Pierre-Louis’s drive and dedication to public safety, justice, and equity have shaped her impressive career. She is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and a first-generation American, for whom English was not her first language. Ms. Pierre-Louis received her bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick and her law degree from the Rutgers-Camden Law School, magna cum laude. She subsequently served as a law clerk to former Justice John Wallace, Jr., on the New Jersey Supreme Court in 2006. From there, she served for nine years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, and later became a partner with the law firm of Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads LLP. At the United States Attorney’s Office, she became the first woman of color to earn the titles of Attorney-in-Charge of the Trenton and Camden offices. In addition to her leadership responsibilities in both Trenton and Camden, Ms. Pierre-Louis served in the Newark Office in the General Crimes Unit and Organized Crime and Gang Unit. She has extensive experience with trials, investigations, and prosecutions; and handled caseloads involving public corruption, fraud, national security, and child exploitation. 

“My life is not the traditional trajectory of someone who would someday be nominated to the Supreme Court,” Ms. Pierre-Louis said when the Governor announced the nomination. “I am the first person in my family to go to law school… I know I have truly lived and continue to live the American Dream that my parents came to this country in search of.” 

APABA-PA stands with our fellow affinity bar associations throughout New Jersey and the region in congratulating Ms. Pierre-Louis for continuing to break barriers. In the face of the challenges revealing themselves across American society today, we hope that this historic nomination will be one among many, making Ms. Pierre-Louis’ path one to which any person of color and immigrant may aspire. 

Founded in 1984, APABA-PA represents the interests of the APA law students, lawyers, and judges and the APA community across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by supporting the advancement of APA attorneys and promoting justice, equity, and legal access, especially for all APA communities.