Johnson appointed as interim administrative judge in Queens Criminal Court for the second time in as many years

Queens Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson was again named as the interim administrative judge of the court following the recent retirement of former Administrative Judge George Grasso. Photo via Johnson

By Jacob Kaye

For the second time in two years, Queens Supreme Court Justice Michelle Johnson has taken over as the interim administrative judge of Queens Supreme, Criminal term.

Johnson, who was named to briefly lead the Queens court following the retirement of former Administrative Judge George Grasso last month, enters into the role for the second time, after serving in the position in 2021, bridging the gap between former Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas and Grasso.

Though she said she’s “honored” to be named to the role, she added that it wasn’t much of a shock hearing the news that she’d been appointed.

“I wasn't surprised,” Johnson recently told the Eagle.

Serving as a lead judge in a New York City courthouse is what Johnson has done for almost the entirety of her judicial career.

Johnson began her legal career in 1992, when she graduated from George Washington University’s Law School. She soon took up a job as an assistant district attorney inside the Kings County district attorney’s office, working in the Homicide Bureau.

It was also in the DA’s office, where she worked for 12 years, where she got her first taste of administration. She was named a bureau chief in the DA’s office and later, an executive in charge of the School Crime Specialized Bureau.

“What I realized then was that I missed being in the courtroom,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who was also looking to do more long-term investigative work, began working as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Education, focusing on discrimination cases. She worked there for a little over two years before she, again, “missed being in the courtroom.”

“It's been a theme,” she said.

Johnson opened a boutique law firm and began work as a private attorney for around six years.

“I was trying cases again, I was back in what feels like home to me, in the courtroom,” Johnson said.

That’s when she submitted her application to be a judge. In 2011, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Johnson to serve on the Civil Court bench in Manhattan. A year later, she was reappointed and the year after, given a criminal term appointment.

Johnson asked to be transferred to Queens Criminal Court in 2013 – she’s lived in the borough since she was in high school. It was there where she again was entrusted by court leadership to take on a role in court administration.

In 2016, she was named the supervising judge of Queens Criminal Court.

In 2020, Johnson decided to run for a spot on the Queens Supreme Court bench for the same reason that’s guided most of her career – more time in the courtroom.

From the time of her first judicial appointment until 2020, the year she was elected as a Supreme Court justice, Johnson oversaw only one jury trial.

“When you're in administration, there's so many other duties that you have that you can't really keep the jury waiting while you're in meetings and debating policy,” she said. “Your opportunity is limited to do so.”

It wasn’t long after Johnson became a Supreme Court justice in Queens’ Criminal Term that she was asked to step in and lead the court after Zayas was appointed to serve in the Appellate Division.

Beyond her experience in administrative roles, Johnson credits her fairness on the bench for the frequent appointments.

“I'm approachable, I try to be rational and reasonable in my responses, and very measured,” she said. “I have a lot of administrative experience, even predating my time as the judge, and so I think that's what they seek when they're looking for someone to carry the position or to carry it interim while they replace the position.”

In a statement to the Eagle, Lucian Chalfen, the spokesperson for the Office of Court Administration said: “We are pleased that Judge Johnson is able to step in as interim Administrative Judge on such short notice.”

“While Judge Grasso certainly left a legacy, Judge Johnson’s slightly quieter demeanor will be more than able to continue the progress that has been made in the criminal term of Queens Supreme Court,” Chalfen added.

Johnson, who served in the role for around five months previously, said she expects this stint to be shorter. OCA has already begun searching for a replacement.

In the meantime, Johnson said she aims to strike a balance between keeping up the status quo and the legacy built by her predecessors and changing court policy and procedure based on the imminent needs of the court.

“For the most part, I'm holding down the fort, addressing those things that need to be addressed immediately,” Johnson said. “And then only making so much change that will rectify whatever the issue is that I'm facing, but not necessarily impact an entire court until the permanent person is in place.”

“I'm glad to do it,” she added.