March 6, 2012
Professor Becomes First Black Woman to Get High Court Media Credentials
Gloria Browne-Marshall has made the boss move of boss moves, recently becoming the first black woman to get credentials to cover the U.S. Supreme Court. What’s The 411 Networks, the company for which Browne-Marshall is a correspondent, is also the first black-owned company to receive such credentials.
Browne-Marshall is reporting on the oral arguments for cases Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum and Mohamad v. Palestinian Authority. Both cases focus on corporate immunity issues, with the question of whether corporations should be held liable for acts of torture committed under their watch.
“My mission is to report on the U.S. Supreme Court in a manner that is accessible to the general public and of assistance to scholars at large,” says Gloria Browne-Marshall, author and associate professor of constitutional law at John Jay College. “I applaud What’s The 411 Networks for its willingness to cover the actions of the U.S. Supreme Court, as not enough attention is paid to the third branch of government. The general population knows the least about the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court; yet its rulings become the law of the land.â€
Ruth J. Morrison, founder of What’s the 411 Networks, says she’s “delighted to have created a media company that facilitated this momentous occasion.”
“Decisions from the United States Supreme Court affect the lives of all citizens, immigrants, and in these particular cases, people and corporations beyond our borders. And, truth be told, the U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful branch of government because all too often, its rulings stand without Congressional intervention,†she added.