Q&A with Judge Lourdes M. Ventura
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.22 COM | OCT. 16-OCT. 22, 2020
open and willing to help.
SM: Was it difficult
overseeing these varying
proceedings?
LV: It’s not that it is
difficult. It’s basically
picking up another area
of the law. Like anyone,
you don’t know everything.
It’s the same for
a judge. It’s more, “OK,
this is what’s come before
me now, so let me
get familiar.” Attorneys
have continuing legal
education courses and
judges have continuing
judicial education
courses. We always have
resources to look up and
learn different areas of
the law.
I attempt to resolve
cases the best way that I
can with the understanding
of the law because
you always have to look
at the law and apply it
to the facts of each case.
Each case is different.
Each case is unique.
SM: Is there a silver
lining that you
can find from the pandemic?
LV: The positive I
would say is that we
have become more technologically
savvy. We
learned a lot more about
technology, both the litigants
and judges. Everyone
in the legal field had
to change with the times
and with the situation.
It’s amazing how you
learn to value even more
the staff that you have
around during these
hard times as well. Our
technology team was
amazing in setting up
our laptops so that we
can work remotely when
the courthouses scaled
down. My staff was incredible
during this
time. Everyone really
rallied to get the work
down together.
SM: Are there any
misconceptions people
have about judges you
would like to clear up?
LV: We don’t know
everything. At the end
of the day we are just
people. We go to work
and for me I love what
I’m doing.
I would say that we
are hard workers because
of my own personal
experience. We care
about our cases and our
caseloads. At the end of
the day it’s not easy to
make a decision. I mean,
when I was in lower
civil court, I did nightly
small claims. I got home
at 10 p.m. and I was still
thinking about one case.
The witnesses touched
me in such a way that I
was trying to resolve in
my mind: “How am I going
to decide this case?”
It’s not that you just do
the job, listen to the stories,
and then you walk
away. Sometimes you
take the work with you
home, and you have to
remember to try to make
the decision that you can
live with and that you
can explain.
SM: What motivated
you to pursue a career
in law?
LV: I was born
and raised in Corona,
Queens. My parents are
from the Dominican
Republic. Even though
I was born and raised
in Queens, my first language
is Spanish, so that
was the first hurdle I had
to overcome — learning
English. A couple grades
in I finally mastered
English, and I was able
to communicate. That
meant that I became the
interpreter and sort of
an advocate for my own
parents when we had to
seek services or go to
appointments. I also became
our building’s goto
person when someone
needed an interpreter
for something. It was
almost meant to be that
I took a path advocating
and helping people.
I have met people
throughout my life who
have helped me become
who I am today. I am
thankful, for my induction
and swearing in
ceremonies, I did them
both at Queens Borough
Hall because that was
the place where I first
went to court when I was
a kid. As a child, I accompanied
my mom at a
housing court proceeding
that was against us.
I helped my mom translate
and navigate it as
a child. I chose Queens
Borough Hall because I
wanted to come back to
the place where I first
stepped into a courtroom.
BY DEAN MOSES
Schneps Media is sitting
down with judges
across the city’s court systems
to discuss their roles
and how they’ve changed
in the age of COVID-19.
This week’s interview is
with Queens County Civil
Court Judge Lourdes M.
Ventura.
Schneps Media:
Could you describe
your duties as a Civil
Court judge?
Hon. Lourdes M.
Ventura: This is my
first year serving as a
Supreme Court judge in
the Civil Term for the
11th Judicial District in
Queens County. I handled
trials, motions and
hearings on cases. There
were torts, otherwise
known as the personal
injury cases, foreclosure
matters, contract disputes
and a never-ending
list of civil cases.
When the pandemic
occurred, it happened to
be the week on March 16
when the courts scaled
down. I was the emergency
judge. I covered
emergency situations in
other specialized parts.
It could be in matrimonial
or mental health,
there are so many moving
parts in the Supreme
Court Civil Term.
SM: What was it
like working as an
emergency judge?
LV: I was a brand-new
judge, and it happened
during the week of the
pandemic. Thank God
we have a very collegial
bench, so I looked for
guidance from seasoned
judges any time I had a
question. Everyone was
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