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“Trailblazers in Robes: Honoring the Pinnacle of Black Excellence in the Judiciary”
T
he Judicial Friends Association and its guests united in celebration at Londel’s restaurant in Harlem to commemorate the historic appointment of Hon. Rowan D. Wilson, the first African-American and first person of color to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, as well as to showcase the legacy and future of black excellence in the judiciary.
Rowan D. Wilson, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, was born in Pomona, California, in 1960 and grew up in Berkeley, California. He received his A.B. degree from Harvard College in 1981 and his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School in 1984. He was admitted to the bar of the State of California in 1985 and the bar of the State of New York in 1987. From 1984 to 1986, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable James R. Browning, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, based in San Francisco, California.
In 1986, he joined the firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore firm in New York City as an associate and was elected to partner there in 1991, in which he continued until February 2017. Judge Wilson was appointed to serve as an Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals in 2017. On April 10, 2023, Governor Kathy Hochul nominated Judge Wilson to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, and the New York State Senate confirmed his nomination on April 18, 2023. While in private practice, Judge Wilson served on the boards of several charitable and not-for-profit organizations and handled numerous pro bono matters.
The Judicial Friends Association, Inc. (JFA), also known as The Judicial Friends, was established in 1976 by a group of judges of color within the State of New York and within the federal districts that encompass the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York seeking fair and just treatment of African-American judges, judicial staff and attorneys. Among these judges were the Honorable J. B. Williams, Ennis Edwards, Fritz Alexander, Howard Bell, Frank Morton, Andrew Tyler, and Edith Miller. Its mission includes the advancement of a learned and dedicated legal community that is reflective of its members. It promotes educational activities in the law for the purpose of improving the understanding of the law through seminars, published materials, and lectures.
