As everyone knows by now, Rep. Maxine Waters has been accused of a congressional ethics violation. She says she didn’t do anything wrong and a trial to determine her guilt or innocence in the matter is scheduled for the fall. I don’t know whether she is guilty of that charge or not, but I do know she is guilty of one thing: going boldly where no legislator has gone before.

I mentioned last week that the Wall Street Reform Act just passed by the U.S. Senate is good news for the country and really good news for Black folks. Well, I subsequently learned just how great that news is for African-Americans because the act contains an overlooked but powerful section, written by Waters, that grants the federal government broad new powers to compel financial firms to hire more women and minorities. Waters has taken a sledgehammer to the last bastion of White maledom and is integrating Wall Street, for cryin’ out loud!

The 1,261-word section written by Waters is buried deep inside the 2,300-page sweeping financial regulatory bill and it gives the federal government authority to terminate contracts with any financial firm that fails to ensure the “fair inclusion” of women and minorities. Waters wrote language that is said to force every kind of company, from a Wall Street leviathan to a storefront law office to account for the gender and ethnic composition of its work force.

Waters’ section establishes at least 20 new Offices of Minority and Women Inclusion across the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange Commission and other finance-related agencies. It orders the directors of these offices to develop standards that “ensure, to the maximum extent possible, that fair inclusion and utilization of minorities, women and minority-owned and women-owned businesses in all businesses and activities of the agency at all levels, including in procurement, insurance, and all kinds of contracts.” Of course, once the Waters section was belatedly discovered, the Republicans started whining.

I’m not generally known as a Waters fan, but hey, a great job is a great job and must be noted as such.

I, THE JURY — I’m being dragged — kicking and screaming and under stern threats to my bank account and/or my freedom — into the Van Nuys Superior Courthouse at 8:30 Wednesday morning for jury duty. You have no idea how discombobulated I am over this. As you know, I am a staunch antiestablishmentarian and the establishment I hate most is what passes for our “justice system.” I believe that prosecutors are liars and tricksters put on Earth for the purpose of persecuting Black people any way they can. I believe judges are Satan’s stand-ins who collude with prosecutors to destroy Black men. I believe people who work for the court are pompous whores who ought to get out and get themselves decent jobs. I have written about many prosecutors in my career — city ones, federal ones, Steve Cooley and the gang, and I’ve disliked them all. I have liked only one judge in my lifetime and she was persecuted and run out of the judging business by her fellow judges!

The very idea of my being forced to collaborate with this demonic judicial cabal in the downfall of trapped and tricked citizens actually makes me sick. I routinely ignore these summonses and I’m usually left alone. But one time I was summoned to the Malibu Courthouse for jury duty. I went (because I enjoy hanging in Malibu) and was actually selected the number 12 juror on a case. I was sitting in the jury box and as the proceedings began, I suddenly became violently ill — feverish, throwing up and passing out and such. It was awful. The judge dismissed me from the jury and replaced me with the first alternate. (I ended up having strep throat.) OK. I’m going to Van Nuys Wednesday and I’m taking all my baggage with me — every single piece, and some prosecutor, church/preacher/priest, corporate entity or government agency is going to be sorry.

DATEBOOK — Rep. Waters will provide a briefing on Haiti Saturday at the FAME Renaissance Center, 1968 W. Adams Blvd. at 11 a.m. The event is being hosted by Pastor John J. Hunter and his wife, Denise Hunter.

Ward AME’s 108th anniversary celebration will feature four days of activities, beginning Aug. 11 with a concert of prayer and prayer vigil from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Two sister congregations — the Korean Church of the Harvest and the Latino Mission Evangelica Silo — will join Ward’s members. On Aug. 13, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., Ward will host the community to an evening of food, fun and fellowship at which noted singers and members of the church’s dance and drama ministries will perform. Then, on Aug. 14 at 4 p.m., Ward’s anniversary choir will be featured in a concert and live recording session under the guest directorship of Bill Marshall. The celebration will conclude on Aug. 15 with a 10 a.m. worship service, a luncheon and a video walk down memory lane. The preacher that day will be the Rev. Staccato Powell, pastor of Grace AME Zion Church in Raleigh, N.C. All the events will be held at 1177 W. 25th St.

THIS AND THAT — Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, wrote a letter last week to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder supporting Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas’ call for the Department of Justice to begin criminal and civil investigations into the Los Angeles County Probation Department and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. The Urban League’s action joins that of the National NAACP, which adopted a resolution at its recent annual convention endorsing those federal investigations.

Damien Goodmon, my baby brother in kick-butt activism, says Councilman Bernard Parks is wrong again when he stated in his latest newsletter that since the California Public Utilities Commission reversed itself last week and approved the deplorable street level crossing of the Expo Line near Dorsey High School, “the decision ends all legal challenges and the street level crossing will be installed this weekend” (last weekend, as you read this). “Bernie’s understanding of CPUC law is no better than his understanding of campaign finance or MTA ethics law,” Damien said. “The reality is that every CPUC decision can be appealed to the California Court of Appeals and our legal team is at work on that as I type,” Damien wrote in an e-mai to me. God, I love this guy!!

Odebayo Oguniesi, a black Briton from Nigeria, is poised to buy Gatwick Airport, the second largest international airport in London. Oguniesi, who is chairman of Global Infrastructures Partners, has agreed to pay 1.51 billion pounds (I don’t know how much money that is!) for the airport, which he promises will provide first class service and will shake up Britain’s airport business. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

AND FINALLY — Among more foreign news comes word from the Republic of Inglewood that the palms of 2,471 disenfranchised James Butts voters are itching for the money they expect to receive from suing Inglewood. Some are talking about a class action suit, while others are thinking about going it alone. Can you imagine 2,471 individual lawsuits against that city?! It’s impractical, but it would sure serve Inglewood right. Most people, myself included, believed the Inglewood City Council just threw all of Butts’ votes away; but no, Councilman Ralph Franklin is recorded saying Inglewood’s rulers took all of Butts’ votes and gave them to Judy Dunlap!! Even Idi Amin didn’t do that in his country!