New York City got its second Indian-American woman judge after Deepa Ambekar was appointed as the interim judge for a civil court. The first Indian-American woman to be appointed as a New York City judge was the Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari.
Ambekar, the 41-year-old Brooklyn resident, will be serving in the Criminal Court of the New York City after NYC mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment of the interim judge and the reappointment of three Family Court judges.
"Every New Yorker deserves access to a fair and equitable justice system. I know these judges will ensure due process is afforded to all who come before their court," Press Trust of India New York quoted de Blasio as saying in an official statement.
In the past, Ambekar had served as the senior legislative attorney and counsel to the committee on public safety with the New York City council for three years. She was also a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society, criminal defense division, and even worked as a litigation associate at a private firm, reports PTI.
Ambekar completed her under-graduation degree in Economics from the University of Michigan and later went on to pursue her law degree from Rutgers Law School. She had also previously worked for Accenture.
Ambekar did not have any intention of becoming a judge until she noticed a senior attorney in her law firm apply for a judgeship a few years ago, according to a report published by News India Times, an Indian-American media outlet.
"I had always wished that I could be as beautiful as they were."
— The Moth (@TheMoth) May 12, 2017
-Deepa Ambekarhttps://t.co/PgRt45ffYu #MothPodcast #APAHM pic.twitter.com/Pdyp2QtxZ7
Raja Rajeshwari, the first Indian-American woman to become a New York City judge had come to the United States as a teenager. She had worked with Richmond County district attorney's office for several bureaus like criminal court and narcotics among others, India Today reported.
Rajeshwari was sworn-in as a criminal court judge on April 14, 2015. Like Ambekar, Rajeshwari was also appointed by the New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. She took the oath along with 27 other judges on that day.
