(Image source from: Raja Rajeswari)
India-born Raja Rajeswari has been sworn-in as a criminal court judge in New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio. She had immigrated to the US in her teenage. She had worked with the Richmond County District Attorney's Office. During her service, she worked in several bureaus including Criminal Court, Narcotics, Supreme Court, and the Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau. She was deputy chief at Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau.
The 43-years old Rajeswari was sworn-in along with 27 other judges appointed earlier this month to the Family Court, Criminal Court, and Civil Court, which are part of the New York State Unified Court System. The ceremony took place on Monday in New York.
The tenure of the judges will be 10 years in the New York City Criminal Court and the Family Court within the city.
“To ensure New Yorkers have access to a fair, equitable justice system, we need judges who are qualified, honest and reflective of the people of this city,” said Mayor de Blasio.
“With their wealth of legal experience, these appointees represent all five boroughs and all walks of life. From the first female South Asian-American judge in New York City to a former NYPD First Deputy Commissioner, these talented leaders truly reflect the diverse range of communities that make up our great city,” he said.
Mayor has lauded the language skills of Rajeswari as she can speak in Indian, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian languages and also praised the India-born judge for her extraordinary empathy for others.
“For someone like me, an immigrant who comes from India, I’m beyond grateful,” Raja Rajeswari said.
“I told the mayor this is not only my American Dream, but it shows another girl from a far away country that this is possible,” She said.
She has worked on cases involving women and children and said they are the ones that touched her the most. She said that she hopes to use her new position to improve the judicial system by encouraging interpreters to have more access to aid immigrants.
-Kannamsai
