A Queens judge committed to procedure and excellence

Justice Frederick Sampson presides in Queens Supreme Court in Long Island City. Eagle photo by Rachel Vick

By Rachel Vick

Growing up, Queens Supreme Court Justice Frederick Sampson didn’t see himself as a lawyer, or as an academic — as a kid on the Lower East Side he loved sports and music.

When an opportunity to go to law school arose, Sampson leaned into the opportunity and walked away as prepared, if not more, than his counterparts, he said.

“I believe that I should be equally strong in everything,” Sampson said. “I do the job like I would do everything else and I try to do everything else well.”

From his earliest days as a judge, Sampson has stood his ground by running his courtroom how he saw fit, regardless of criticism of his personal and professional styles. 

Today, he approaches his job with precision and an intention to hold those in his courtroom accountable; a commitment to doing things by the book is reflected in every facet of his practice. He expects lawyers to come prepared and litigants to walk away fully aware of the implications of the proceedings. 

“I try to be a dot your ‘i’ cross your “t” person because I like to be accurate, and there are many misnomers about me and what I do; rumors circulating because I’m not the most cordial person in terms of going to events, etcetera,” Sampson said.  “So I do it as if my parents were in the courtroom and they did not know what was going on. I try to be transparent and thorough, and i find a lot of our business, the lawyers, are more into speed haste quickness, not thoroughness”

“There’s no excuse for being unprepared,” he continued. “Somebody could be more talented than you, they can be smarter than you, but they should never out-prepare you or outwork you. There’s enough bad lawyer jokes and attorneys should not buy into it and come ill-prepared.” 

Requiring an allocution with  all parties present for the settlement ensures that everyone knows the terms and walks away on the same page, Sampson said. 

He is a man of faith and strong words, who doesn’t claim to know everything but isn’t shy about voicing his recommendations for the court system.

“We’re the unified court system, but the only unified thing about the court system is that everyone does it differently,” Sampson said. “There’s got to be something where across the board things are done the same. It should be unified such that someone in Manhattan can practice in the same way in Bronx, or Queens, so you don’t have to be in the good ole boys club in that particular venue.”

The success of the jury system, however, was an unexpected realization that came from over 30 years of engaging with jurors and taking the time to hear their perspective on court proceedings. It’s a practice that everyone who works in the courts should engage in to learn about their personal practice from the outside, Sampson said.

The walls of his Long Island City courtroom are decorated with some of the most important figures in American history, including Paul Robeson, an actor, athlete, musician and icon whom Sampson considers a personal hero. 

With retirement approaching, Sampson looks forward to pursuing other challenges. He’ll spend time at another court — the basketball court. He will also play his trumpet and practice chess in the park, he said. Whatever he pursues, he will strive for excellence.

“My mother told me to prepare yourself and put yourself in a position to succeed when an opportunity comes,” Sampson said. “A lot of people who don’t know what they want to do and feel bad — my answer to them is to be the best that you can be at the point that you are. The only person you can cheat is yourself.”