FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2025
New York, NY – In a unified call for accountability and action, the Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA), joined by fellow Latino affinity bar associations Latino Lawyers of Queens County, the Dominican Bar Association, and the Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association, proudly endorses the Overview Of Status of Latinos in the NYS Judiciary: The 2025 Report. Authored by the Hon. Sallie Manzanet-Daniels, Associate Justice of the Appellate Division for the First Department as a bold, data-rich exposé on the longstanding, systemic underrepresentation of Latinos on the New York State bench.
This landmark report lays bare an uncomfortable but undeniable reality: despite Latinos comprising nearly 20% of New York State’s population, we account for only 9% of state-paid judges, and far less across appellate courts, rural judicial districts, and positions in judicial administration. These persistent disparities — especially in regions with robust Latino populations — are not the result of coincidence. They are the result of choices (or a lack of will to make choices) by gatekeepers, nominating committees, and political power structures that too often exclude Latino talent from the bench. As such, we commend Justice Manzanet-Daniels for her tireless leadership and meticulous documentation, and see the report as a call to action to correct decades of inexplicable and inexcusable exclusion on the bench. Among the most alarming findings:
- The Fourth Judicial Department, encompassing 22 counties, has never appointed a Latino to the Appellate Division. Because no Latino judges have been elected to the Supreme Court in that region, there are currently no eligible Latino candidates for elevation to the Appellate Division.
- Richmond County (Staten Island) has never elected a Latino Supreme Court Justice.
- Only 2 out of 21 Administrative Judges in New York State are Latino— and none are Latina.
- In Manhattan, where Latinos make up 24.6% of the population, only two Latino judges have been elected to the Supreme Court in the last 13 years.
Rejecting any notion that these disparities result from a purported lack of qualified candidates, the report instead highlights a vibrant and growing pool of Latino judicial talent serving with distinction in trial courts and family courts throughout the state. As such, the PRBA and undersigned allies view the 2025 Report as a mirror and a mandate: a reflection of where we are, and a blueprint for where we must go.
Forward we will move — pa’lante — with solidarity and purpose.
En solidaridad,
The Puerto Rican Bar Association
Latino Lawyers Association of Queens County
The Dominican Bar Association
Hudson Valley Hispanic Bar Association