Principal Law Clerk Traci Wilkerson values the judicial team

Traci Wilkerson (left) has served the Queens Courts since 2005 and currently serves with Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder. Photo Courtesy of Wilkerson

By Rachel Vick

Traci Wilkerson has served as a principal law clerk for more than a decade, offering dedication and passion for criminal law to her current role in the courtroom of Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder.

Though the work itself is fulfilling, she says the best part is the relationship she has formed with her judge and the way they, along with the court clerk, function as a team.

“It's like [being] the judge’s right hand; it's a confidential relationship where you have to trust each other and where the judge trusts you and your judgement,” Wilkerson said. “I’m proud to say I've been able to reach a point where my judge trusts me, my judgement.”

”We have open discussions about the law and how we view things differently,” she added, explaining that the work is more than a typical 9 to 5. “It's a privilege to help in that way.”

While the amiable relationship between her and Holder is a result of years of partnership, the trust instilled is a result of more than 20 years of legal experience.

The Ohio-born lawyer headed east for college at Barnard, working as a paralegal before earning her JD from University of Virginia.

Wilkerson returned to New York, where she got a job as an assistant district attorney for the Queens DA — exploring multiple bureaus during her eight year tenure before moving from a role in appeals to doing her part ensuring cases are handled right the first time.

“The goal of the court system is to handle cases as fairly and expeditiously as possible… whether by trial, plea or dismissal you want to be fairly correct because you don't want a case to come back,” she said. “I try to make sure we get it right the first time.”

Wilkerson’s interest in becoming a part of the courts was piqued when she visited the courtroom of a cousin on the bench. There, she saw clearly the impact of a high ranking official in the legal system who not only looked like litigants but kept their undeniable humanity front and center.

“It occurred to me that a lot of the people you see in the system are people of color and I think it means something when the judge, the person next to the judge, looks like you in an elevated position,” she explained. “[It shows] there's something different, something better that’s possible. I thought at the time ‘that's something I'd like to be a part of.”

“As an African American woman in the system I can be a part of making it better,” Wilkerson added. “I can be part of doing the right thing.“

She said her passion and serious approach to the job has often led to being described as intimidating, but at the core of it all she loves and enjoys “doing right by people.”

Valuing the humanity of the people who appear before them in court has become an integral part of Wilkerson’s experience — one defined by acknowledging the need to do your best without losing sight of reality.

“What I've learned more than anything is that you have to take it one day at a time; you can't make prejudgement about anything — people are people,” she said. “You have to make room for people to be who they are… to make mistakes and it's all just part of what it is to be human.”