Queens Criminal Court gets a new top judge – Queens Daily Eagle

By Jacob Kaye

After about a month of searching, the Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term, has a new administrative law judge.

Court officials announced Wednesday that Queens Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson will serve as the next Chief Justice of the Queens Supreme Court, Criminal Term.

Johnson, who has twice served as interim administrative law judge on the court, immediately assumed the new role Wednesday, filling the vacancy left by Donna-Marie Golia, who was appointed to the Second Department’s Appellate Division in August.

“Justice Johnson is a distinguished member of the New York bench, known for her unwavering commitment to justice and her fair and measured approach to decision-making,” said Chief Administrative Law Judge Joseph Zayas, who once held the same seat that Johnson now holds. “She is equally valued for her strong administrative skills, as recently demonstrated in her role as interim administrative judge of the court.”

“Her in-depth knowledge of court operations, coupled with her outstanding leadership skills, will assist her in her new role and be of great benefit to the Queens County Superior Court criminal process and those it serves,” Zayas added. “I look forward to our collaboration to address operational and other challenges as part of the court system’s ongoing efforts to improve access to justice and improve justice enforcement.”

In a statement, Johnson, who has lived in Queens since high school, said words “could not truly express the depth of my gratitude for the trust placed in me by Chief Administrative Judge Zayas and First Deputy Chief Administrative Judge St. George.” They ensure that the most diverse district in the United States remains the gold standard for the administration of justice.”

“I realize I have big shoes to fill and am humbled and honored to serve the Office of Court Administration and the residents of Queens County in this new role,” she added.

Johnson has extensive experience in administrative roles in the city’s courthouses.

In addition to serving twice as interim administrative judge of the court she now presides on a permanent basis, she also previously served as presiding judge of the Queens Lower Criminal Court.

Johnson began her legal career in 1992 when she received her law degree from George Washington University.

Her first legal job out of school was as an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney’s Office.

She worked in the office for a dozen years, eventually working her way up to office manager and senior executive of the Special School Crimes Bureau.

Johnson, who was profiled by the Eagle in 2022, eventually felt the urge to pursue longer-term investigative work and began working as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on discrimination cases.

She worked there for just over two years before “missing being in the courtroom” again, Johnson told the Eagle in 2022.

The then-lawyer opened a boutique law firm, which she ran for six years.

She filed for judgeship in 2011 and was appointed as a Manhattan civil court judge by then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Johnson requested a transfer to her home district in 2013 and was transferred to the Queens Criminal Court. Three years later she was appointed senior judge of the court.

The judge then ran for a spot on the Supreme Court bench in 2020 and won.

Johnson got her first taste of court administration when Zayas was appointed to the Appellate Division of the Second Department in 2021. Johnson served as interim administrative law judge for about five months before court officials appointed former Judge George Grasso to the position.

When Grasso retired a little less than a year later and ultimately unsuccessfully ran for district attorney of Queens, Johnson was again put in charge of the court on an interim basis.

Another vacancy at the top of the Queens Criminal Court opened up over the summer when Golia was appointed to the appeals court by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder has been appointed interim administrative law judge until a permanent replacement is appointed.

First Assistant Administrative Judge Norman St. George said in a statement that he considered Johnson an “excellent choice to assume the critical role of administrative law judge in one of the busiest criminal courts in the country.”

“She has both the breadth and depth of expertise and experience, as well as the many other good qualities required for this extremely challenging position,” St. George said. “I look forward to working with her in her new administrative role and look forward to the operational and other improvements expected under her dynamic leadership.”