Questions & answers with a judge
Get to know the Honorable Doris M. Gonzalez, Administrative Judge, Civil Matters the Bronx
BY DEAN MOSES
Schneps Media:
Could you describe your
duties as an Administrative
Judge?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
Everything is a
collaboration. I run the
building: I have a deputy
clerk and a chief
clerk (they draft the paperwork,
review it, and
send it up to the judge.)
I have the county clerk
who receives all the papers,
and I’m responsible
for them. If I succeed
it’s because of all the
people that work hand
and hand with me.
I am responsible for
the operations of the
building. A lot of it is
the administration and
not the dispensation of
law. I also run all the
foreclosures. I have 1500
foreclosure cases that I
handle, and I have 1500
cases that are ready for
trial (people who have
injuries or have other
cases). I try to have them
all meet with me before
they get a jury date.
When the pandemic
hit, we shut down our
building. Everybody
was sent home to selfquarantine.
I came in
every day, so there were
about 11 of us. It was rewarding
but challenging
as well.
Schneps Media:
How has the position
changed during the pandemic?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
I think the courts
were trying to fi gure out
how to modernize and
not disturb the practice.
Skyping should
have been in play for a
long time. The Bronx
has benefi ted from the
modernization. We are
bringing people back in
and my goal is to keep
everybody safe. It hasn’t
been easy. I don’t want
it on my shoulders that
someone ended up getting
sick. It’s a hard job,
people don’t understand
what judges do.
When I took my oath,
I was the fi rst Latina and
fi rst woman to ever take
this post in the Bronx. I
have it in the back of my
mind that I cannot fail,
and I will not fail.
Schneps Media:
What does that mean to
you to be the fi rst female
and Latina Administrative
Judge of the Bronx?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
My dad had seven
years of education. He
grew up in Puerto Rico.
We were homeless for a
while, we had issues with
the small claims court.
I would come to court
with him, my idol, and
I watched people make
fun of him. I watched
the injustice. When I
was 16 years old, my
mom asked me “What do
you want to be when you
grow up?” I said, “I want
to be a judge.” My mom
was smiling ear to ear,
but my father said: “You
better get your head out
of the clouds.”
I think that there
are more women being
elected in Bronx county.
The doors have obviously
opened for many
women. As time went
on, they started seeing
my capabilities and I
earned my respect. I
have to acknowledge all
of the women judges before
me who had a much
more diffi cult time and
because they had those
challenges and they
fought those battles I
was able to get to where
I am.
Schneps Media:
What are some of the
most common problems
you deal with?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
With people’s inability
to afford attorneys,
the hardest part is
dealing with pro se litigants
(people who want
to come to be heard on
their own behalf.) During
the pandemic it’s
been diffi cult because
we haven’t had access
to them. Usually with
attorneys you have access,
but pro se litigants
don’t understand the
process. You must have
patience, mercy and
compassion with them.
In the back of my head I
remember how we used
to come to court.
Schneps Media:
Has there been a silver
lining from the pandemic?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
We had thousands
of motions that
have all been done because
the judges were
Honorable Doris M. Gonzalez, Administrative Judge, Civil Matters the Bronx
able to sit and focus
on them because they
weren’t doing their tri- als. But the pandemic
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,14 AUGUST 21-27, 2020 BTR
has prevented jury trials.
Who knows how we
will be doing jury trials
going forward and how
do we keep the public
and workers safe?
Schneps Media:
Are there any misconceptions
people have
about judges?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
I feel judged at
all times. For a long
time, I never disclosed
my position. I have a
20-year-old daughter,
I enrolled her in a volleyball
club, and I was
just one of the moms
who got the bagels
on Fridays. They got
to know me fi rst before
they labeled and
judged me.
Many of us judges
are mentors to inner
city youth, high
school, college and
young students, and
that is how we give
back to the community.
We also give back
by serving on boards.
For me it’s inner city
youth, I grew up in the
projects. I was one of
the lucky ones. I attribute
that to my mother
because education was
important to her.
Schneps Media:
What do you do in your
spare time?
Hon. Doris Gonzalez:
When I fi rst got
on the bench, I practiced
yoga in Pelham Bay and
practice “no harm to
others” and the issues
of forgiveness. I also
unwind with my daughter
watching Netfl ix.
If it wasn’t for the pandemic,
I would be going
to all of her volleyball
games. There, you celebrate,
you scream and
the stuff from the day’s
work goes out the window.
It was awesome to
release that.