LIHBA CONGRATULATES JUDGE JOSEPH A. ZAYAS ON EXPANDING LATINO REPRESENTATION ON THE BENCH WITH RECENT APPOINTMENTS

Updated January 14, 2025

At LIHBA’s Annual Scholarship Gala this past September, we were fortunate to have as the keynote speaker Judge Joseph A. Zayas, Chief Administrative Judge for the State of New York’s Unified Court System. At the gala, Judge Zayas spoke about the importance of diversity on the bench in general and the need for more Latino representation on the bench specifically.

Over the course of the last several weeks, Judge Zayas has made good on his commitment to increase Latino representation in important judicial positions across the State. This January 2, 2025, Judge Zayas appointed the Hon. Raymond A. Rodriguez to the position of Administrative Judge of Richmond County, the first Latino to ever hold this important role.

Additionally, Judge Zayas appointed Judge Carmen Pacheco to be the Supervising Judge of the Civil Court in Brooklyn; and Judge Frances Ortiz to be the supervising judge of Housing Court in Manhattan. This past December, Judge Zayas appointed Judge Alicea Elloras to be the Supervising Judge of Family Court in Queens County;

LIHBA firmly believes and supports that Latino representation in all facets of the judiciary is crucial for fostering diversity and inclusion within our judicial system. It not only brings diverse perspectives and experiences to the forefront but also inspires and empowers our community. We hope this positive trend spreads to Long Island, where Latino representation on the bench is extremely low.

LIHBA is extremely proud that five past LIHBA Presidents are now on the bench – Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department, Hector LaSalle; Associate Justice of the Second Department Helen Voutsinas; Judge Philip Goglas, Suffolk County Court; Judge Linda Kelly Mejias-Glover who sits on the Court of Claims bench in Hauppauge; and Judge Veronica Renta Irwin, Nassau County District Court. However, despite comprising 29% of New York City’s population and 19% of the State’s overall population, Latinos simply do not have a commensurate share of judicial representation. That is particularly reflected in the disproportionately low number of Latino judges who make up only 7% of judges in the State.

We thank Judge Zayas for his important achievements in raising the level of Latino representation in leadership roles within the New York State Courts. LIHBA pledges to continue to support Judge Zayas in this effort and to remain a voice demanding fair representation on the bench.