Asian American judges have increased, but remain underrepresented in NY courts

Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas, First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George and Deputy Chief Administrative Judge for the New York City Courts Adam Silvera stand with the Asian American Judges Association of New York newly appointed judicial members. Eagle photo by Noah Powelson

By Noah Powelson

New York’s legal community kicked off Asian American and Pacific Islander month with a who’s who gathering of court leaders on Tuesday.

The Asian American Judges Association of New York hosted their annual gala dinner at HK Hall in Midtown Manhattan this week, honoring several notable members of Queens’ courts.

It was a night celebrating how quickly association members and the AAPI community have gained representation in recent years. Still, the night also served as an acknowledgment that there’s more work to be done to reach true Asian American representation on the state’s bench.

According to data from Unified Court System’s Judicial Demographics Report, an annual survey conducted since 2020 categorizing the demographics of New York judges, around 5 percent of respondents self-identified as Asian in 2024. In New York City, just under 11 percent of judges self-identified as Asian.

Meanwhile, AAPI persons make up roughly 9.8 percent of the population of New York State, and about 14.7 percent of the five boroughs, according to data available from the U.S. Census.

While a gap still exists between the number of Asian Americans represented in the courts and the state’s population, the ratio has increased over the past five years.

In 2020, less than 3 percent of judges in the state and slightly less than 6 percent of New York City judges self-identified as Asian.

The growth in representation is a point of pride of AAJANY, which has seen its own growth over the past half decade.

AAJANY was first established in 2013 with just eight members. Three years ago, the association hosted its first gala dinner in the back of an Irish pub because they lacked the funds to rent out a venue.

But on Tuesday, over 150 judges, attorneys and government representatives attended AAJANY’s gala, and celebrated the appointment of nine association members to the bench.

Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas was one of the honored guests for the night, and remarked that AAJANY seemed to double in size with each passing year.

Zayas said rising diversity on the bench is a direct result of judges and bar associations like AAJANY.

“It’s not just about creating an association, but creating an association that will then help our courts become more broadly diverse,” Zayas said. “[The UCS and AAJANY] are partners and allies in our endeavor to make our courts more diverse.”

Administrative Judge of the New York City Civil Court Shahabuddeen Ally was honored at Tuesday’s gala with the Association’s AAPI Trailblazer Award.

Ally was the previous president of AAJANY, and said for years he would carry a flag with the association’s logo on it wherever he went to build the group’s brand.

“This is an emotional moment for me,” Ally said. “I look around this room, and I think how we have grown in three years…the promotions of Asian judges, it’s not by accident, it’s by the commitment and leadership of our chief administrative judge.”

U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, whose district includes Jamaica and the Rockaways, was also honored as the AAJANY Diversity Champion. Meeks was unable to attend the Gala in person, but provided a recorded statement accepting the award and expressing his thanks.

“I want to thank the association for its steadfast commitment for lifting up Asian American voices in the judiciary, and for creating a space where these voices are acknowledged and celebrated,” he said. “This recognition strengthens my resolve to work towards a legal system that is more just, more inclusive, and more reflective of the society it serves.”

But just as AAJANY celebrated the height of its success, some speakers expressed concern with the direction the nation was heading with the halting of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at the demands of the Trump administration.

Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Second Department Hector LaSalle was honored with the Judicial Excellence Award at the end of the night’s program. Like several of the other speakers, LaSalle congratulated the night’s award recipients and the association’s success, and said how the work they do is more important than ever as diversity initiatives across the country meet resistance.

“We have seen DEI offices at many companies and universities not simply scale back, but completely disassembled,” LaSalle said during his acceptance speech. “The term ‘DEI hire’ has entered our lexicon. A derisive coded term used to undermine the professional qualifications of anyone who isn’t a white male.”

LaSalle told the crowd of judges that ideals of an inclusive society should not just be an aspirational dream, and that Asian American and Latino American women in particular are missing from key court leadership positions.

“We as a nation will never become the meritocracy many desire until everyone has equal opportunity,” LaSalle said. “How can we say we have the best company, the best faculty, the best institution, the best anything until we know every person has an equal opportunity to compete and obtain positions in each of those organizations.”