Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

September 18, 2024
Queens County Supreme Court-Civil Term, Jamaica, New York

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated annually from September 15th through October 15th, highlighting the rich history and mosaic of traditions of Hispanic and Latin Americans. The Queens County Supreme Court’s Equal Justice in the Courts (EJIC) Civil Term Committee held an event at the Jamaica, New York courthouse in mid-September to honor the many contributions of Hispanic and Latin Americans to our courts and communities statewide and beyond.

Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson and First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Norman St. George welcomed judges and non-judicial personnel to the event, which featured empanadas and other tasty treats, along with high-spirited music, provided by the NYPD’s La Jara Band. The band’s lively performance of salsa and merengue, underscoring the significant influence of Hispanic and Latin Americans on the arts, drove many attendees to the dance floor.

It was a highly festive gathering, reflecting the Unified Court System’s steadfast commitment to a welcoming environment in which diversity and inclusion are deeply valued and respected.

Photo: Principal Law Clerk Jasmine I. Valle, Chair of the EJIC’s Community Outreach Subcommittee, decorates the Jamaica, New York courthouse in preparation for the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration

Photo (L-R): First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge St. George and Chief Judge Wilson greet judges and nonjudicial personnel and enjoy the festivities at the Queens County Supreme Court’s Hispanic Heritage celebration in mid-September

Photo: Senior Court Alicia McGlyinn dances to the music as the Queens Supreme Equal Justice in the Courts (EJIC) Civil Term Committee held a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration featuring live music from the NYPD’s La Jara Band

September 25, 2024
Monroe County Hall of Justice, Rochester

Chief Administrative Judge Joseph A. Zayas was the keynote speaker at a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the Monroe County Hall of Justice highlighting this year’s theme, “Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together.” The program was hosted by the Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission and the Seventh Judicial District’s Hispanic Heritage Month and Embracing Our Community committees in partnership with the Latino Judges Association, the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys, the Monroe County Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the Rochester Black Bar Association.

Judge Zayas, who comes from humble beginnings, spoke of his own career trajectory as well as the growing diversity in recent years of New York’s state bench, which now boasts over 100 judges of Hispanic descent. The program also featured a panel discussion among four local trailblazers—City of Rochester Manager of Special Projects Daisy Rivera Algarin, Executive Assistant to the Monroe County Director of Public Safety Nancy Padilla, retired Commissioner of Community Development for the City of Rochester Julio Vázquez Sr., and Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority CEO Miguel A. Velázquez—with each talking about their respective role in serving the needs of Rochester’s Hispanic community, which numbers some 72,000 people. Other speakers included Seventh Judicial District Administrative Judge William K. Taylor; Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Court Matters Richard Rivera; Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission Executive Director Mary L. Nicolas-Brewster; Appellate Division, First Department Associate Justice Llinét Rosado; Appellate Term, Second Department Associate Justice Joanne Quiñones; Monroe County Family Court Support Magistrate Maritza C. Buitrago; and Monroe County Court Attorney-Referee Luis Ormaechea.

Attendees enjoyed musical and dance performances as well as delicious ethnic fare, with this festive event underscoring the multiple benefits of diversity, both in the workplace and greater community.

Photo: Statewide Coordinating Judge for Family Court Matters Richard Rivera addresses Hispanic Heritage Month program attendees at the Monroe County Hall of Justice in late September

Photo: Dancers perform at the Monroe County Hall of Justice’s Hispanic Heritage Month festivities on September 25th

Photo: Program panelist and local leader (L-R) Nancy Padilla with Monroe County Family Court Magistrate and Franklin H. Williams Judicial Commission member Maritza Buitrago, who welcomed attendees to the Rochester Hispanic Heritage Month celebration

October 7, 2024
Appellate Division, First Department, Manhattan

Appellate Division, First Department Associate Justice Bahaati Pitt-Burke and Bronx County Civil Court Judge Joaquin E. Orellana joined Dominican Bar Association President Rosemarin Belliard, Puerto Rican Bar Association President Jason Canales, Associate Professor and Founding Director of CUNY BMI Rising Scholars of Justice at John Jay College Dr. Jodie Roure, and Counsel to New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie attorney Miguelina Camilo on Monday, October 7, for an enlightening bar-to-bench pipeline discussion. The hybrid program, titled “The Latino Community in the Law and Judiciary” and held at the historic appellate courthouse in Manhattan, was among the First Department schedule of annual events in commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, traditionally celebrated each fall from September 15 to October 15.

Justice Pitt-Burke welcomed attendees and attorney Camilo moderated the informative talk, with the speakers recounting their respective career journeys and providing insightful guidance to audience members. The Appellate Division, First Department, led by Presiding Justice Dianne T. Renwick, regularly hosts such events which, in addition to strengthening relationships between members of the bar and bench, are proving successful in promoting the diversity and inclusiveness of New York’s judiciary.

Photo (L-R): Dominican Bar Association President Belliard, Associate Professor Roure, attorney Camilo, First Dept. Associate Justice Pitt-Burke, Bronx Civil Court Judge Oreallana, and Puerto Rican Bar Association President Canales at the First Dept.’s Hispanic Heritage Month program on October 7th

Photo: Justice Pitt-Burke addresses attendees at the “The Latino Community in the Law and Judiciary” program at the historic Manhattan appellate courthouse