Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari is New York’s first Indian-American woman judge Monday April 27,2015

 

Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari has been sworn-in as a criminal court judge in New York by Mayor Bill de Blasio, becoming the first India-born woman to be appointed a judge in New York City. 

Ms.Raja  Rajeswari(43) who had migrated to the U.S. from Chennai when she was 16, previously worked with the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office for her entire career in several bureaus including Criminal Court, Narcotics, Supreme Court, and the Sex Crimes Special Victims Bureau, where she last served as Deputy Chief. 

Besides her legal acumen Ms Rajeswari is an accomplished Bharat Natyam and Kucchipudi dancer who continues to perform at Indian events and temples with her troupe from the Padmalaya Dance Academy, named after her mother, Padma Ramanathan.

Ms Raja Rajeswari took the oath of office at a ceremony in New York City on Monday April 27,2015 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 mayor appoints judges to 10-year terms in the New York City Criminal Court and the Family Court within the city. 

Note

Currently, there are two male judges of Indian descent in civil court settings — Jaya Madhavan on the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County, and Anil C. Singh of New York County Supreme Court, 1st District