The Kings County Democratic Party Executive Committee, comprised of Brooklyn’s 42 assembly district leaders, last night overwhelmingly endorsed Acting Supreme Court Judge Harriet Thompson as the party’s choice in the Sept. 13 primary to become Brooklyn’s next Surrogate Court judge, replacing the retiring to replace the .
Two current sitting judges went before the county for the endorsement – Thompson and State Supreme Court Justice Evelyn J. Laporte. The vote was 27-9 with three abstentions and three district leader no shows at the meeting held in East New York.
The Surrogate’s Court hears cases involving the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates. It also handles adoptions.
“This surrogate race is an extremely important race. It deals with real estate,” said Geoffrey Davis, the male Democratic District leader in the 43 Assembly district. “Brooklyn is a real estate town and the Surrogate court position deals directly with real estate. It is an extremely important position and all the voters need to understand that it’s important to dig deep into the candidates that are running, and get involved and vote.”
With origins from Dade City, Florida, Thompson’s family moved to New York City as part of the great black migration to the north seeking better opportunities. She received her undergraduate degree from SUNY Plattsburgh and graduated from Albany Law School in 1982. She worked in the Office of the Attorney General and as a private attorney at firms in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She also operated her own law firm for 17 years before she was elected judge in 2011.
“I’m a person of faith. I come from a long line of itinerate ministers from the south and I believe that God can do anything. It [county support] was a good move and I’m grateful from the support I got from many, many people. I worked hard to get to this point. It was not a gift,” said Thompson, adding she also comes from a long line of labor and civil rights activists, and has been a compassionate attorney and judge for 37 years.
Thompson said the first attribute a Surrogate Court [or any court] judge needs is competence, but that can take many forms including but not exclusively legal competence.
“I think competence of character is very important. If you don’t stand for something, you fall for anything. My values are a real compassion for people and wanting to help them. One of the traits of being a lawyer is seeing people’s problems and understanding them. Sometimes you have to show them the errors of their ways. Sometimes you have to bridge the gap between people who are adversaries.
“You have to wear various hats as a judge. You are the arbitrator. Sometimes you’re the social worker, sometimes you’re the counselor, sometimes you are the mediator of a dispute. One of my greatest strengths is my ability to bring people together. Many of my cases are settled because of this characteristic. You need loving compassion towards human beings to mediate between you’re being right and the other side being wrong and vice versa,” said Thompson.
Thompson said everybody has their own approach to being a justice and hers is to be honest, open and flexible.
“I tell people all the time I want you to understand I don’t sleep in this robe. I am a fully mature functional person. This job didn’t make me who i am. I came here because of the skills I’ve earned. It’s one of my calling cards to success, but I’ve also lived through a divorce and the murder of a family member, but through my faith in GOd, I’m able to touch souls with my soul,” Thompson said.
Thompson said she has previously served in the Surrogate Courts in Long Island and Queens as well and has both the legal and personal experience to do the job. This includes the understanding that in Brooklyn, many people of color have found a measure of wealth through working hard and purchasing property.
As such, she feels strongly about both following the law and ensuring everybody’s rights are protected.
“THere is no greater satisfaction than to make some feel whole by something you do,” said Thompson. “There is no money or prestige better than the giving of yourself to someone in your need.”
