Carmen R. Velasquez

"It has not been easy for me but I am grateful for the opportunity to attend school and get an education, and the opportunity to help others through my extensive pro bono work when I was a lawyer and now to preside in Court with dignity and respect,” Judge Carmen R. Velasquez said after she was recognized for her dedication to public service and community leadership by New York Rep. Joe Crowley in 2011. "I am truly grateful to be living the American dream. God Bless America," she said. Velasquez is a Supreme Court Justice serving in the 11th district of the State of New York and the first Ecuadorian-American judge in the U.S. She previously served as a judge for the New York City Civil Court of Queens County. She is a founding member and past president of the Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County. Updated July 2018