Carmen Velasquez

Carmen Velasquez was born in Quito, Ecuador on May 30, 1960. Her family moved to Queens, New York in 1975, when she was 14 years old. Velasquez graduated from Long Island CIty High School in 1978. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in 1984, and her law degree from Temple University School of Law in 1987. Judge Velasquez also studied at the University of Athens' Law School during the summer of 1985. She also worked as an intern for the Appellate Division 1st Department during the summer of 1986.

Velasquez was an Assistant District Attorney in the District Office of Bronx County from 1987 to 1988. She subsequently worked at the New York Department of Sanitation, in the Bureau of Legal Affairs, as Assistant Department Advocate from 1988 to 1989 and as Deputy Department Advocate from 1989 to 1991. From 1991 to 2008 she was in private practice in Queens, New York. From 2000 to 2002 she was an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. In November 2008 she was elected for a 10-year term as a Civil Court Judge for the State of New York, from 2009 to 2018, serving until 2014, being the first Ecuadorian to be elected for the seat in the United States.

Velasquez ran for election to the Supreme Court, 11th District during 2014. She competed with 8 other candidates for the 4 available seats during the general election on November 4,^[1] earning a seat with 14.3% of the votes.^[2] In January 2015, she began serving as Justice at the Long Island Courthouse, in Queens County, for a 14-year term, ending in December 2028. The election resulted in her being the first Ecuadorian to be elected by general vote and to obtain the title of Justice in the State of New York.

Starting January 2016 Velasquez served at the Queens General Courthouse in Jamaica, Queens.