Judge Paul speaks of challenges, successes in Family Court
Caribbean L 28 ife, Feb. 8–14, 2019 BQ
By Nelson A. King
Dweynie Esther Paul is a
Kings County Civil Court Judge
currently presiding in Queens
County Family Court.
Judge Paul, who was born
in Queens, currently resides in
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
For more than 12 years,
Judge Paul has practiced law
throughout New York City and
New York State.
In 2015, she became the first
Haitian-American to be elected
a Civil Court judge in the State
of New York.
Judge Paul is the first generation
in her family to be born
in the United States; her mother
is from Port-de-Paix (north
Haiti), and her father is from
Port-au-Prince, the Haitian
capital.
In an exclusive Caribbean
Life interview, Judge Paul tells
of her challenges and successes
in sitting on the bench in family
court.
“We live in a complex society,
where our socio-economic
status, level of education and
mental health are large contributing
factors to the conflicts
arising between litigants,” she
said. “It is a tremendous task
to come into the lives of people
and make rulings that directly
impact their rights, freedom,
finances and daily lives.
“Often times, I meet people
when they are at their most
desperate and vulnerable state,”
she added. “I try to make right,
a wrong, and do my best to
level the playing field and put
individuals back in the position
they would have been in if the
situation had never occurred.
“But who can truly erase
the past? she asks rhetorically.
“Only on rare occasions, do I
wholly satisfy both litigates. I
am asked to decipher the truth
in the mist of the parties’ varying
representations of the facts
and, in the end, administer
justice.”
Judge Paul said the stakes
are very high in family court,
stating that the court has a
high volume of cases, moves at
a fast pace and, often times, a
decision, even if it’s temporary,
must to be made immediately.
“The decisions I make
change the course of a child’s
life, shifts the family structure
and affects the safety of individuals
seeking refuge from
domestic violence,” she said.
“In some instances, one parent
is not particularly better than
the other. Other times, neither
parent seems viable.
“However, I understand that
it is the entire family, made up
of a mother and father, aunts
and uncles, grandparents and
cousins who come together
to rear a child to his or her
greatest potential,” Judge Paul
added.
However, she said she overcomes
these challenges by her
faith in God, “which helps to
keep me grounded and gives
me clarity,” in addition to her
“phenomenal court attorney,
Lauren Brown, and an amazing
court clerk and court officers.”
Judge Paul said she does not
take for granted how her decisions
directly impact people’s
daily lives.
For this reason, she said
she is careful to preside over
her cases with “compassion,
patience, understanding and
with an open mind.”
“My goal, in family court is
to help fortify families, ensure
that intimate partners are safe
in the face of domestic violence,
while considering the
best interest and environment
possible for the child,” she
said.
Judge Paul said she has realized
that her greatest success
stories come from the families
she has empowered to sift
through their conflicts and
pain to reach their own settlement
agreement.
“I have watched parents
reunified with their children,
all the while breaking addictions
to drugs and alcohol;
coming to terms with mental
health issues, by engaging in
treatment; and domestic violence
survivors obtain protection
and setting boundaries for
their abusers,” she said.
Judge Dweynie Paul. Judge Dweynie Paul