2026 Honoree

Deputy Chief Administrative Judge Edwina G. Richardson leads the New York State Unified

Court System’s Office for Justice Initiatives (OJI), which is tasked with promoting

meaningful access to justice in all New York State courts regardless of income, background, or ability. Judge Richardson was appointed to lead OJI in 2017. Under her leadership, OJI has grown to house five focus areas: Access to Justice, Child Welfare & Family Justice, Diversity & Inclusion, Problem Solving Justice, and Youth & Emerging Adult Justice. Central to OJI’s work is community engagement.

Judge Richardson and OJI also lead the court system’s efforts to advance equal justice in

the courts, which includes implementing the recommendations to combat racism in the

courts contained in the October 2020 Report from the Special Adviser on Equal Justice.

This work includes implementing the recommendations made to promote gender fairness

presented in the 2020 report issued by the Honorable Betty Weinberg Ellerin Committee on

Women in the Courts as well as supporting endeavors to make New York courts fair and

accessible for the LGBTQ+ community.

Under Judge Richardson’s guidance, the Problem Solving Justice Division supports nearly 350 problem-solving and accountability courts throughout New York, including community, drug, family treatment, human trafficking, mental health, opioid, veterans’ treatment, domestic violence (DV), and integrated domestic violence (IDV) courts. Problem-solving courts enable judges and court staff to better respond to individual, family, and community needs by looking into the underlying issues leading to court involvement and employing innovative approaches to address those issues, such as treatment and rehabilitation. Utilizing a dedicated judge, specially trained staff, and resource coordination, DV courts adjudicate cases involving intimate partners. IDV courts, which utilize the “One Family, One Judge” model, aim to improve the treatment of families and children by reducing the number of court appearances and providing better services for victims, all while ensuring both accountability and due process for those accused of engaging in intimate partner violence. The Problem Solving Justice Division also provides guidance and support in commercial and residential foreclosure matters and elder justice endeavors.

Judge Richardson and OJI provide programmatic oversight of the Judiciary Civil Legal

Services grant. This grant provides nearly $125 million to support essentials of life legal

needs for underserved communities throughout New York State. Most recently, Judge

Richardson has been charged with overseeing statewide reform efforts in Mental Health

Law Article 81 Guardianship cases. In this role, Judge Richardson advises and provides

guidance to judicial leadership and the courts on matters related to the needs of

vulnerable populations and older adults with diminished capacity. With an eye towards

developing statewide solutions in this area, Judge Richardson is forging intergovernmental

partnerships, recommending legislative changes, overseeing the Court system’s Guardian

Assistance Office, and providing programmatic oversight of the $2 million grant for the delivery of comprehensive guardianship services by non-profits. 

Judge Richardson is currently an active Judge on the Court of Claims. She first joined the court system as a Court Attorney-Referee in Queens County Family Court after representing clients in New York City Housing Court, Family Court, and Supreme Court. Judge Richardson became a Family Court Judge in 2003, the Queens County Supervising Family Court Judge in 2008, and the Administrative Judge of all New York City Family Courts in 2009.

Judge Richardson earned her law degree from CUNY Law School and holds a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the CUNY Graduate Center. She maintains active membership and leadership positions in bar associations, judicial associations and court committees in pursuit of improving our legal system’s delivery and quality of justice services.