Despite increasing numbers of minorities and women in law schools and state bars, there continues to be a lack of diversity in the judiciary. As the first female South Asian judge in New York, Judge Rajeswari talks about her unique path to the judgeship and why diversity on the bench matters.

Judge Raja Rajeswari is a judge on the New York City Criminal Court of the New York State Unified Court System. She was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in April 2015 and sworn in that month. She is the first South Asian female judge to be appointed a judge to a criminal court New York City. Prior to her appointment, she served as the deputy chief of the Special Victims Unit for the Richmond County District Attorney’s Office for 4 years.

(Credits: 0.5 Diversity MCLE)