Justice Ingrid Joseph — is Guyanese and proud of her roots.
She was just was elected as a Supreme Court Justice of the State of New York during the Midterm Elections on Nov. 6, for a 14-year-term— said her plan, as a judge, is “to do justice wherever I can.
Joseph, who resided in Georgetown, the Guyanese capital, before migrating to the US, graduated with honors from Prospect Heights High School in Brooklyn.
She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree (cum laude) from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, and received a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from New York Law school.
She began her legal career at two law firms, where she handled wills and provided legal estate planning services to clients.
Justice Joseph said she also served as an adjunct professor at Borough of Manhattan Community College, where she shared her knowledge and love of the law with students.
She said her challenges sitting on the bench involve maintaining judicial demeanor, “even when litigants and attorneys misbehave.
In an interview with Caribbean Life, Joseph said,
“When I sit on the bench, I represent first and foremost the members of the Joseph family; then I am a woman, a Caribbean / South American / Afro American / and a five-footer; but, mostly, I represent someone who wants to help to resolve the issues of the community”
During her 10 years in Civil Court in Brooklyn and Queens, Joseph said she presided over cases (personal injury trials and motions, name changes and small claims); Family court in Brooklyn (custody and visitation); and the Supreme Court in Brooklyn (matrimonial).
In addition to her duties as a civil court judge, Joseph said she was appointed acting justice of the Supreme Court in 2012, working for seven years in that capacity.
Story adapted from Caribbeanlifenews.com
