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COURIER L 16 IFE, SEPT. 11-17, 2020
Q&A: Hon. Carolyn
Walker-Diallo
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 the Hon.
Carolyn Walker-Diallo,
Kings County Supervising
Judge and Acting Justice
of the Supreme Court.
Schneps Media:
Could you describe
your duties as a Civil
Court Judge?
Hon. Carolyn Walker
Diallo: As Supervising
Judge of the Kings
County Civil Court, the
busiest Civil Court in
the State of New York,
I oversee all aspects of
court operations and administration,
including
judicial and non-judicial
assignments, case management,
court facilities,
technology development,
public information, and
access to justice. I also
preside over the Trial
Part, which include
transfer cases from Supreme
Court and up until
the pandemic, I presided
over j ury trials.
Also, I am the fi rst
Muslim to serve as a judge
in the State of New York,
taking the ceremonial
oath of offi ce on the Holy
Quran after being elected
to represent the 7th Municipal
Court District.
SM: How has the
position/proceedings
changed during the
pandemic?
CWD: The pandemic
drastically changed
how we operate in the
Civil Court. While my
responsibilities of overall
management of the
Court remain the same,
how I manage the Court
during the pandemic requires
me to think outside
of the box every day.
We will not be able to return
to pre-pandemic operations
anytime soon.
But this is not necessarily
a bad thing! While we
were always concerned
about and focused on
the safety of everyone
who walks through our
doors, COVID-19 has
given us the golden opportunity
to streamline
and modernize operations
so that we may continue
Hon. Carolyn Walker-Diallo.
Hon. Carolyn Walker Diallo
to serve the public
through the use of technology
while keeping everyone
safe from this invisible
enemy.
SM: Is there a silver
lining that you can fi nd
from the pandemic?
CWD: The pandemic
forced the entire court
system to quickly reassess
how we serve the
public and to institute
best practices during the
pandemic and beyond.
Accordingly, we began
using existing technology,
such as Skype,
which had not been
widely used before.
SM: Are there any
misconceptions people
have about judges you
would like to clear up?
CWD: Civil Court
Judges are elected from
all of the diverse Brooklyn
communities and, as
such, are sensitive and
compassionate to the
needs of all Court users.
We work hard every day
to uphold our constitutional
obligations and
to ensure that everyone
obtains notice and an opportunity
to be heard.
SM: What are some
of the most common
problems you deal
with at work?
CWD: The one thing
I love about being a Supervising
Judge of the
busiest Civil Court is that
there is never a dull moment
and every day presents
a new set of opportunities
(not challenges) to
do better for the people of
Brooklyn. The most common
opportunities during
the pandemic are ensuring
access to justice while
incorporating technology
into the daily operations.
This interview has
been edited for brevity.
For the full interview,
visit BrooklynPaper.com.
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