Press & Publications

LJA Letters (1) To the Commission on the Judicial Nomination, (2) LJA Opposition to Senate Bill 54005-B

Latino Judges to Reenact Desegregation Case Mendez v. Westminister

NYSBA Awards the Hon. Hector LaSalle

Film details history of New York’s Latino Judges –
Una película detalla la historia de los jueces latinos de Nueva York

A new documentary about the history of Latino judges in New York State will be screened at Lehman College on January 14.

Produced by the Latino Judges Association (LJA), the film is an attempt to “preserve and chronicle the history of Latino judges in New York” and was created over the course of several years.

“We painstakingly did research and tried to track the very slow growth of representation of Latino judges in our court system,” explained Justice Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, Associate Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department of the New York State Supreme Court.

Click here for the Full Article.

Disrespect for Constitutional Process Damages Democracy

by The Hon. Rolando T. Acosta

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LJA Letter to the Hon. Andrea Stewart-Cousins Majority Leader of the New York State Senate

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Latino Judges Association Letter to Governor Hochul

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Calvo-Torres takes oath for Court of Claims: ‘Buffalo deserves to see itself in its courts.’

**Pictured: Judge Shirley Troutman (left), Judge Richard Sise, Judge Betty Calvo-Torres, Judge Sallie Manzanet-Daniels (right).**

**Click Here for the Spectrum News Article**

Más de 150 dominicanos ejercen el derecho en Nueva York

**Pictured: Members of the Dominican Bar Association, including Judge Patria Frias-Colon pictured in the center. Click Here for Full Article.**

Recommendations to the Commission to Reimagine the Future of he New York’s Courts on Pandemic Practice

Presiding Justice Rolando Acosta, Justice Lourdes Ventura, and other Dominicans featured in “A Simple Vista” by Colorvision in Dominican Republic

Meet Justice Patria Frias-Colón

After 15 Years, 1st Latina Still Only One On Western NY Bench

Second Judicial District Equal Justice Committee Recognizes ‘Celebrate Diversity Month’

Queens’ Equal Justice in the Courts Committee tours schools

From left to right: Jasmine I. Valle, Esq., Justice Lourdes M. Ventura, A. Paul Fisher, and Justice Mi-
chele Titus.

Chief Judge Names New Co-Chair to
Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission

Port Chester students see themselves through
the lens of judicial success

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The Tree of Democracy Requires the Sunlight of Service by the Honorable Rolando T. Acosta

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Congratulations to Judge Patria Frias Colón Appointed as Supervising Judge of the Queens Civil Court The Board of the Latino Judges Association wishes Judge Frias-Colón the best!

Appellate Division, First Department makes history with first all Latino bench!

December 9, 2021 was a historic day in the Appellate Division, First Department when an all Latino bench presided over the calendar for the first time in New York State history. The panel consisted of Presiding Justice Rolando Acosta and Associate Justices Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, Lizbeth Gonzalez, Manuel J. Mendez and Julio Rodriguez III.

Before the calendar call, Presiding Justice Rolando Acosta addressed the historic moment by highlighting the importance of ensuring that the judiciary reflects the make up of the citizenry. He explained that diversity on the bench lends credibility to a justice system that under-represented groups, such as women and people of color, have historically viewed with suspicion and distrust. Justice Acosta further emphasized the “need for citizens to see themselves reflected in the judges who serve them, because a diverse judiciary engenders confidence that courts – the last bastion of justice – have the requisite moral authority to dispense justice to all”‘. He concluded by expressing gratitude that the Appellate Division, First Department is “among one of the most diverse courts in the nation.” While acknowledging that there was work still to be done, “todays all Latino panel – a happenstance of the court’s randomized judicial assignment system, was just another indication of the progress society has made”.

By: Hon. Llinét Rosado

Vance Center at the NYC Bar Hosts Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity

Jaime Chavez Alor, NYCBA Vance Center’s Latin America Policy Director; Hunter Carter, Arent Fox; visiting Guatemalan judges Hon. Miguel Angel Gálvez, Hon. Carlos Ruano, Hon. Erika Aifan; U.S. District Court Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York; visiting Guatemalan judge Hon. Haroldo Vasquez; Antonia Stolper, Shearman & Sterling; Judge Walter Rivera; Judge Javier E. Vargas, and Douglass Cassel, King & Spalding.

Latino Judges Association President, the Hon. Walter Rivera, attended a reception at the New York City Bar for four members of the Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity on November 11, 2021. They gave a first-hand account of the challenges independent judges face in Guatemala. The four visiting judges were the Hon. Erika Aifan, recipient of the 2021 Department of State Women of Courage Award; Hon. Carlos Ruano, President of the Guatemalan Association of Judges for Integrity; Hon. Haroldo Vasquez and Hon. Miguel Angel Gálvez. The event was hosted by the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice. Members of the Latino Judges Association and lawyers in private practice also attended.