Maldonado Cruz inducted into Civil Court

Hon. Lumarie Maldonado Cruz. Eagle photo by Caroline Ourso.

By David Brand

New Queens judge Lumaria Maldonado Cruz was sworn in to the Queens judiciary at a special ceremony Thursday, more than six month after winning a rare contested Democratic primary for the Civil Court bench. 

In June, Maldonado Cruz, a former attorney with the Character and Fitness Committee of the state Supreme Court Appellate Division, won the first contested Democratic judicial primary in years, defeating then-defense attorney Wyatt Gibbons by 20 percentage points. Gibbons was later elected to the Queens Supreme Court bench.

Maldonado Cruz, a mother of three, went on to win the general election in November 2019. She chose Borough Hall as the venue for her induction event and said that she was inspired to run by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“AOC’s victory reminded me of my obligations to stand up for what is right,” Maldonado Cruz said. “Queens is the new frontier of empowering minorities and women and she reminded me of all of that.”