Honorable Patricia Timmons-Goodson from North Carolina

4/11/2024

Honorable Patricia Timmons-Goodson

c/o Office of the Dean

North Carolina Central University School of Law

640 Nelson Street

Durham, NC  27707

Dear Honorable Timmons-Goodson,

My name is Matt Winick from Ann Arbor, Michigan and I have a strong interest in learning history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. In these subjects, I like to learn the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. Honorable Timmons-Goodson, the main reason I’m writing you a letter is to explain how I find your work when you served as Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and also when you served as Vice Chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to be very inspiring to me. 

In February 2006, I was amazed on how you made history on becoming the first African American woman to be on the North Carolina Supreme Court. When you served as Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court  from 2006-2012, I truly appreciated on how you were a strong supporter of civil rights by advocating for people with disabilities’ rights, pushing for strict sentencing for people who commit hate crimes on minorities including people who are different, and expressing the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination. On people with disabilities’ rights issues, I like on how you express the need for more people who have expertise in people with disabilities’ rights including people with disabilities’ rights law to be in the judicial system or be elected in the courts, emphasize the need for social workers to work with law enforcement to help reduce situation with people who struggle with mental health, and more better reforms on people who have mental health or with a disability to get better access to social security disability benefits.  Supporting drug treatment programs to help drug users get the care they need to reduce drug abuse, expansion of resources to help victims of domestic violence or victims of crime get help on dealing with their trauma, and pushing along with expressing the need for funds for DNA testing including forensic science to help solve evidence or cases efficiently while reduce sending an innocent person to jail is common sense for criminal justice reform. Also on criminal justice reform, I like on how you express the need for mental health court to help people with mental illness to get treatment and advocate for the importance of community services to help non-violent offenders including non violent juveniles to rehabilitate so they won’t re-offend.   In your role as Vice Chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission from 2014-2019, I liked on how you continue to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights along with criminal justice reform, heavily advocated for the need for ethic laws to reduce police misconduct including reduce racial profiling, and work with other members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commissions to support the ideas to help President Obama to expand on laws to combat against hate crimes in order to protect minorities, women, sexual orientation, and people with disabilities.

Honorable Timmons-Goodson, I have autism with a learning disability.  Having a disability is hard for me because i have trouble comprehending on learning different advanced subjects, sometimes i struggle to communicate my thoughts in different settings (social and environmental settings), and get teased. Your commitment to be a strong supporter of civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights really inspires me to work hard on my disability. Your role as former Associate Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and as former Vice Chair of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission helps give me motivation to continue to learn history, social justice, and criminal justice reform. My future goal is to someday work in these areas to help emphasize the need for civil rights to be stronger to reduce discrimination, have criminal justice reform to help protect people’s rights while reduce crime, and many others. 

I strongly believe that you made a great difference when you served in public service. I’m very proud on how you worked hard to support civil rights including people with disabilities’ rights and push wile advocate for criminal justice reform. You truly inspire me to work hard on my disability, learn more about your work, and continue to learn different things. Thanks for taking the time to read my letter, working hard to make a great difference, and inspiring me. Please continue to make a great impact on society and advocate for common sense ideas.

Sincerely,

Matt Winick