Atlanta lawyer Gerald Griggs joins elite group of Supreme Court attorneys
Atlanta attorney admitted to U.S. Supreme Court
Atlanta civil rights attorney Gerald Griggs was sworn in to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, joining an elite group of 19 African American attorneys nationwide authorized to argue cases before the high court.
ATLANTA - Atlanta civil rights attorney Gerald Griggs has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, formally authorizing him to argue cases before the nation's highest court.
Atlanta civil rights attorney milestone
What we know:
Griggs was recently sworn in to practice in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, a distinction he called one of the biggest honors of his career. According to Griggs, only about 300 attorneys in the country actively practice before the court, and just 19 of them are African American.
In metro Atlanta, that circle is even smaller, with Griggs estimating there are "maybe two or 3 at the most." Speaking from the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in downtown Atlanta, Griggs reflected on what the milestone means given the city's legacy as the birthplace of civil rights.
What they're saying:
"Recently, I was sworn in to practice in front of the highest court in the United States and that’s one of the biggest honors as a Civil Rights attorney to be able to practice at that level," Griggs said.
"It means a lot being from Atlanta. The birth place of Civil Rights, to being the former president of the Georgia NAACP, to being a practice Civil Rights Attorney that means a lot," he added. "It’s an honor. I’m able to look up to great Civil Rights lawyers like Thurgood Marshall and Fred Gray and so many others that have done this before me."
Supreme Court legal focus
What's next:
Griggs, who also serves as the immediate past president of the Atlanta branch NAACP and former president of the Georgia NAACP, said he is ready to bring critical civil rights fights to the high court.
"Police brutality issues, around qualified immunity, around Graham vs. Connor, to make sure that we have full information about what the court believes is reasonable and how we stop these situations from continuing to happen. That’s my primary focus and then voting rights," Griggs said.
What we don't know:
Officials and Griggs have not yet announced the specific date of his swearing-in ceremony or the first case he plans to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from an on-camera interview conducted by FOX 5's Larry Spruill with civil rights attorney Gerald Griggs at the Nathan Deal Judicial Center in downtown Atlanta.