Judicial candidate commits to continued service to the Queens community

Cassandra Johnson is a candidate for Civil Court Judge of the 4th municipal district. Photo courtesy of Johnson

By Rachel Vick

For Civil Court judicial candidate Cassandra Johnson, whether on the bar or bench, at the core of a legal career is serving the people who walk through the court doors and ensuring that they each have their day in court. 

The St. John’s School of Law graduate worked in the private sector before working as a Court attorney, law clerk and mediator in different parts of the Queens courts, experiences she said have helped prepare her for the realities of taking on a larger role.

“I do see attorneys as serving and people who work in the court system as serving the community and judges are positions of service to the community,” she said. “What makes it rewarding is how the [court community] all come together to  help — it always comes back to helping people, because that's what we do.”

She serves as the vice president Association of Law Secretaries to the Justices of the Supreme and Surrogates Courts in the City of New York and on the board of directors at the Queens County Women’s Bar Association and has led training to help colleagues across the state adjust to the virtual model.

In her role as a court attorney, she said she learned the importance of connecting the real lives of court attendees to the legal actions at hand “because we’re dealing with people and their problems and not just their cases.”

Johnson was trained in Alternative Dispute Resolution, which shaped her approach to mediation and her understanding that every dispute is shaped by underlying issues that would rarely be brought to the surface in a traditional trial setting. 

“I look at myself as guiding the conversation and giving perspective, allowing both parties to be heard,” Johnson said. “Making sure the parties understand what is going on when people come to court there are two things that should be done: they should be provided with access to justice and I have to ensure that justice is served. “

“The goal is to always be more efficient and make sure people are having access to justice and ensuring that justice is served - those aren't just things  that I say,” she added. “It’s like a mantra that we in the courts work and live by.

The forward-looking Johnson and relishes the  court’s improved accessibility and efficiency brought to the forefront by pandemic closures.

Johnson was raised in Far Rockaway and Queens Village by her Vietnam veteran father and her mother, a Haitian immigrant and attorney who ultimately steered Johnson away from a career in engineering and  in the direction of law after years of working part time in her office.

“They taught me the value of  hard work, respect for others and, of course, public service —  these values shaped the type of attorney I have become,” Johnson said. “Seeing the impact I was having on people working in my mom's office was so rewarding and it was then I really saw this as my calling.”

Johnson added that she could imagine no better place to serve than in her home borough. 

“That's what so great about giving back in the committee that you live in and serve in is that these are people you can see every day, and that's also why i'm running for this local district seat; because it’s a district I  live in, work in, have friends and family in, and serve in,” she said. ”It would be a pleasure to be a judge elected in this district, to serve this community.”