In a decisive victory, Jamaican-American lawyer Janice Robinson secured one of the two Civil Court Judge seats in Brooklyn’s 6th Municipal Court District during Tuesday night’s New York Democratic Primary. Robinson triumphed over fellow Jamaican-American lawyer Kenneth Gayle in the two-way race.
With 98.51 percent of scanners reported, the New York City Board of Elections announced that Robinson received 10,820 votes, or 72.27 percent, while Gayle garnered 3,910 votes, or 26.12 percent. There were also 241 write-in ballots, accounting for 1.61 percent.
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Robinson, a resident of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, has over 20 years of experience as a civil litigator. Speaking to Caribbean Life, she highlighted her extensive experience and commitment to public service, a trait she attributes to her early involvement in her uncle’s political campaign in Brooklyn’s 58th Assembly District. Her uncle, former New York State Assemblyman Nick Perry, is now the United States Ambassador to Jamaica.
Robinson, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and speech arts from Hofstra University and a juris doctorate from American University Washington College of Law. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first Black sorority, demonstrating her dedication to community service.
Throughout her career, she has witnessed the slow yet significant progress towards a more diverse judiciary in Brooklyn, and emphasized, “The bench should strive to reflect those that appear before it. Fairness and judicial equality start with those who are entrusted with the task of listening, assessing, and making the important decisions that affect the people of our community.”
Robinson expressed her readiness to deliver fairness and justice to those who need it most, drawing on her unique perspective gained from appearing before many judges in Kings County. She underscored the importance of judicial temperament, professionalism, legal knowledge, the ability to listen, and respect for litigants, especially in managing busy civil calendars.
She said, “All of the positive attributes and skills that I have had a front row seat to witness for the last 20 years set an excellent example for me and essentially the best road map that I could have ever hoped for.”
Robinson aims to ensure that the people of Brooklyn receive fair, compassionate, and individualized justice. “Brooklyn deserves that,” she asserted, declaring her readiness to serve.
