Yearwood tapped to lead Bronx Supreme Court, Criminal Term

Judge Alvin Yearwood, center, will serve as the Bronx County Administrative Judge, Criminal Term.  File photo courtesy of Hon. Joanne Quinones

By Jacob Kaye

Judge Alvin Yearwood was named to serve as the Administrative Judge for Criminal Matters in the Twelfth Judicial District on Monday.

Yearwood, who most recently was serving as an acting Supreme Court Justice in the Bronx, will take over the seat on the bench from Judge Tamiko Amaker, who served for the past six months as the interim administrative judge in the court.

“Judge Yearwood is an experienced judge whose leadership abilities, combined with his extensive knowledge of the law, sound judgment and deep commitment to the fair administration of justice, make him ideally suited to take on the multiple demands of this critically important post,” said Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence Marks. “I look forward to our working together to move and resolve cases efficiently and effectively, achieving and maintaining operational excellence in today’s highly challenging environment.”

Yearwood was first appointed to the bench in 2003, when he took a seat on the New York City Criminal Court bench.

He was reappointed to the criminal court three times before becoming an acting Supreme Court justice in 2010. Presiding over the court parts, he also conducted hundreds of felony trials, according to the Office of Court Administration.

A graduate of Boston University Law School, Yearwood worked in District Attorney’s offices in both Nassau and Bronx Counties and worked with several law firms and at a solo law practice before becoming a member of the judiciary.

Yearwood is also on the board of trustees at Lafayette College, his alma mater, and on the board of the Caribbean American Lawyers Association.

The judge’s new position was effective immediately.

“I want to express my gratitude to Judge Amaker for serving as the Bronx Court’s interim Administrative Judge–particularly in these difficult times–in addition to her myriad responsibilities as the New York City Criminal Court’s Administrative Judge,” Marks said.