Why we should never forget Judges Rivers, Toney & Watson

EDITORS’ NOTE: One of the signature events of the Judicial Friends Association, in addition to awarding scholarships in the study of law, is an annual fundraising event called the Toney, Rivers & Watson Dinner. The annual dinners began in 1980 to present meritorious service awards to members of the judiciary and non-judiciary for outstanding contributions to the legal community through remarkable achievements. The dinner is named in honor of three men — Francis E. Rivers, Charles E. Toney and James S. Watson. Here is the history: in 1930, Toney and Watson were the first African Americans elected to the bench, in the newly created Harlem 10th Municipal Court District. In November 1943, Rivers was elected to the old New York City Court, becoming the highest-ranking Black judge in the nation. These three judges occupy an exalted place in the history of efforts to make the judiciary more representative of the population of our city. The remarks below by New York State’s first Chief Judge of color, Rowan D. Wilson, were made at the most recent Judicial Friends dinner held earlier this week. It offers a moving account of the importance of remembering Judges Toney, Rivers and Watson.

Six years ago the Judicial Friends Association honored me at the 36th Annual Rivers, Toney, Watson gala. I spoke a little bit then about Judges Rivers, Toney and Watson, and I’m not going to repeat that now. But I do want to remind everyone that Francis Rivers, when he was a member of the State Assembly before becoming a judge, created a new municipal court district in Harlem, which resulted in the election of Judges Toney and Watson. This was at a time when all of them could not be members of the ABA because they were black. We should not forget or underestimate the effort it took Assemblyperson Rivers to create that court so that African Americans had the prospect of election to judicial office.

Fifty-five years after…