I am deeply saddened by the passing of Henry Ramsey Jr., and my thoughts and prayers go out to his friends and family.

Judge Henry Ramsey was truly a renowned leader in the fight for social justice. As an early activist in the Civil Rights Movement, a Contra Costa County prosecutor, a Berkeley City Councilmember, faculty at UC Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and as an Alameda County Superior Court judge, Judge Ramsey was acutely aware of the role the judicial systems plays in the fight for equality and justice.