Opinion: Why More Black Male Judges Matter in New York City

""A bench that mirrors the city's diversity is not just more representative-it is better equipped to deliver justice that is fair, credible, and trusted." New York City's courts shape millions of lives, yet one gap remains stark: Black men are dramatically underrepresented on the bench. Despite the city's growing diversity, political and judicial leadership has not kept pace, leaving too few Black male judges in positions of influence."

"Demographics have long shaped city politics. In the 1970s and 1980s, rising engagement by Black and Hispanic voters reshaped the landscape. By the 1990s, minority candidates-many women-gained ground in the City Council, State Legislature, Congress, and county leadership in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. The judiciary followed a similar path. Early waves of elected minority judges often included Black men who had practiced law in their own communities and were well known to local voters and elected officials."

"Yet this progress has produced an unintended consequence. As more women excelled in the pipeline, identifying and elevating qualified Black men to the bench has become increasingly difficult. New York State's Office of Court Administration publishes an annual self-reported judicial demographics report reflecting participation by roughly 76 percent of eligible jurists. In the city's elected Civil Court, about 22 percent of judges are Black; in Supreme Court, just 19 percent."

New York City's courts shape millions of lives, yet Black men remain dramatically underrepresented on the bench. Political and judicial leadership has not kept pace with the city's growing diversity, leaving too few Black male judges in positions of influence. Historical demographic shifts in the 1970s–1990s increased minority political power, and early elected minority judges included community-based Black men. As the legal profession diversified, women—especially Black women—advanced steadily into judgeships with county Democratic support. That progress has unintentionally narrowed the pipeline for qualified Black men. Recent judicial demographics show Black representation in Civil Court about 22 percent and Supreme Court 19 percent, with similar disparities in appointed courts.

Read at City Limits