By Nelson A. King
NEW YORK, Jun 13, CMC – With early voting starting on Saturday for the New York Democratic Primary, Guyanese-born Attorney Michelle DeSouza-Forte says she has been receiving a growing coalition of community and Democratic leaders’ endorsement for Civil Court Judge in New York.
DeSouza-Forte, who is running for a judgeship in the 6th Municipal District in Kings County (Brooklyn), said on Friday that the New York City Bar has “approved” her candidacy.
She also disclosed that she has earned the endorsement of several elected officials, including Caribbean nationals, in Brooklyn.
They include Haitian-American Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn (42nd Assembly District); Jamaican-American Assembly Member Brian Cunningham (43rd Assembly District); Jamaican-American District Leader Anthony Beckford (43rd Assembly District); District Leader Michelle Tege (43rd Assembly District); District Leader Michael Boomer (57th Assembly District); District Leader Shaquana Boykin (57th Assembly District); and Haitian-born District Leader Josue Pierre (42nd Assembly District).
Additionally, DeSouza-Forte stated that the New York Progressive Action Network has endorsed her candidacy.
“I am honoured to receive the support of respected elected officials, district leaders, and community advocates who have dedicated themselves to serving Brooklyn,” she told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC). “These endorsements reflect a shared belief that our courts must be fair, impartial, and accessible to everyone who enters them.
“I am grateful for their confidence in my experience, integrity, and commitment to public service,” she added. “Local Civil Court Judges make decisions that affect families, tenants, consumers, workers, and small businesses every day.
“I am running because I believe every person who comes before the court deserves fairness, professionalism, and a judge who understands the real-life impact of every decision,” continued DeSouza-Forte, who is currently on leave from her position as an assistant corporation counsel with the New York City Law Department.
DeSouza-Forte, who migrated from Guyana in 1985, grew up in East Flatbush, Brooklyn and currently resides in Canarsie, also in Brooklyn.
“I want to become a judge not only because of my legal experience, but also because I am guided by a deep sense of fairness and representation and a desire to serve my community,” she said. “This is evident in my work as a solo practitioner, where I provided not only legal services but also conducted seminars to educate my community on the importance of estate planning.
“Additionally, as a defence attorney, I have not encountered many judges or attorneys who look like me in the courtroom,” she added. “I am often one of the few women or the only minority attorney in the courtroom.
“As a judge of Caribbean descent, I would bring diversity to a legal system where people of colour are disproportionately represented on the bench,” DeSouza-Forte continued. “As a wife and mother, I would apply the law through the prism of compassionate integrity, treating all litigants fairly in every decision I make.”
With the support of community leaders and the voters in the 6th Municipal District, DeSouza-Forte said she “strongly” believes that she will be elected a civil court judge on Primary Election Day, Tuesday, June 23.
Early voting for the Democratic Primary runs from June 13 to June 21.
Driven by a blend of professional insight and personal experience, DeSouza-Forte said she seeks judicial office as “a unique opportunity” to continue serving her community.
“As a solo practitioner, I saw a need to empower my community by educating them on the importance of estate planning,” she said. “Many members in my community were unaware of the significance of preparing Advance Directives, which include a Power of Attorney.
“They did not know what it was, when it was required, or the duration of its power until it was too late,” she added. “After assisting a close family friend, whose family lacked access to her accounts while she was hospitalised, I began conducting estate planning seminars in churches, libraries, and homes. I saw a need and aimed to fill it.”
DeSouza-Forte said she values her experience in giving back to the citizens of New York.
“My experience in both the private and public sectors gives me the unique perspective of practising the law on both sides of the courtroom,” she said.
With a solid legal background, DeSouza-Forte said she brings “depth and breadth” to her approach and understanding of the legal system.
She said this expertise is invaluable to her in applying the law to the specific facts at hand, while promoting fairness and integrity.
“Furthermore, it’s an opportunity to maintain fairness and equity from the bench,” DeSouza-Forte said.
As a Caribbean woman, she said she knows firsthand the struggles that marginalised groups face.
DeSouza-Forte said her background has instilled in her “patience, perspective, and a deep respect for the power of education and representation.”
She said her presence on the bench would demonstrate not only that representation matters, but that it would also inspire others in her community.
For DeSouza-Forte, being a judge is more than a position.
“It is a heartfelt commitment to the law that has, for centuries, bridged cultural divides, confronted and reformed systemic inequities and ensured legal protection for future generations,” she said.
She said she “firmly” believes voters want to see more judges who are reflective of their community, who would be “fair, respectful and impartial in their decisions” – values she said she holds deeply.
DeSouza-Forte said she migrated from Guyana when she was 15, and was raised in East Flatbush, near Lenox Road and Nostrand Avenue.
She said her background and life experiences continue to shape her deep commitment to service, fairness and community.
Growing up in a household of nine children, DeSouza-Forte said she learned from an early age the values of responsibility, perseverance, and sacrifice.
She said her upbringing in an immigrant family exposed her to the challenges faced by communities navigating complex systems, with limited access and support.
DeSouza-Forte said she attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn before pursuing higher education, ultimately becoming the first in her family to graduate from college and the first to earn a graduate degree – “milestones that reflect both personal achievement and generational progress.”
DeSouza-Forte earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, with a minor in Japanese Studies, from the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY).
She said she went on to receive her Juris Doctorate (law degree) from Western Michigan University Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where she earned certificates of merit in business organisations/corporations and international law, and served as a Student Bar Association Senator on the Budget and Finance Committee.
DeSouza-Forte said her legal career spans 14 years of practice, covering private practice and public service.
She said she operated her solo practice, providing legal guidance in matters including wills, trusts and estates, real estate, immigration, contracts, and civil disputes, “often representing individuals and families during critical life transitions.”
DeSouza-Forte said she later served as an associate attorney at Grimaldi & Yeung Law Group, where she managed estate planning and administration matters in a fast-paced environment.
Since May 2022, DeSouza-Forte has served with the New York City Law Department as Assistant Corporation Counsel.
In this role, she said she litigates matters on behalf of the city, handling trials, motion practice, discovery, and settlement negotiations, while also mentoring new attorneys and supervising interns.
DeSouza-Forte said she came to view the legal profession “not only as a career but as a continuation of the sacrifices” that made her own education possible.
Beyond her professional work, DeSouza-Forte said she has maintained a strong commitment to community service.
As one of the founding members of the Brooklyn-based Caribbean American Lawyers Association, she has held leadership roles, including second vice president, treasurer, and corresponding secretary.
CMC/nk/ed/2026