Justice Walker-Diallo breaks barriers and confronts Islamophobia in the legal system

In a recent episode of the Diversity Dialogue podcast, hosted by the NYS Unified Court System, Hon. Carolyn Walker-Diallo, New York City Civil Court Administrative judge and the first Muslim person to serve as a judge in New York State, shared her experiences and challenges in promoting diversity within the legal system. 

It didn’t take long for people to take notice of Justice Walker-Diallo as she marked her appointment in 2015 by taking her oath of office on the Qur’an, leading to a public backlash that included severe accusations and threats to her safety.

“I was actually shocked by the backlash,” Justice Walker-Diallo said on the podcast. “Of course, I was disappointed. I was hurt and I was concerned for my safety and my family’s safety. We had to have NYPD presence outside of my house for a certain amount of time, but it was definitely eye-opening to know that certain people, not all, because there’s some amazing people in this state, this city and this country, but that we have a lot of work to do in terms of understanding each other and recognizing that we are so diverse in this country and that ‘American’ doesn’t look one particular way.”

Her legal journey is adorned with a series of prestigious roles, including serving in the Brooklyn Criminal Court and Manhattan Civil Court, being appointed as a supervising judge of the Kings County Civil Court in 2018, and later being elected to the New York State Supreme Court from Kings County in November 2021.