Judge Soma Syed is the first Bangladeshi American elected judge in New York State and the United States. Upon election on November 4, 2025, Judge Syed will become a New York State Justice.  In 2021, Judge Syed was elected to the New York City Civil Court from Queens County.  From 2022 to 2023, Judge Syed was assigned to the New York County Criminal Court in Manhattan, where she presided over busy arraignment, felony, and misdemeanor parts.  Since January 2024, she has been assigned to the Queens County Civil Court.  Judge Syed is a former special prosecutor and a private practitioner with a vast community and pro bono experience.  Judge Syed obtained her J.D. from the Albany Law School of Union University and B.A. from the City College of the City University of New York.  Judge Syed is a product of New York City public schools.   

Judge Syed was born in Bangladesh to an educator and a freedom fighter and grew up in Queens, where she is currently living with her husband and family.  Judge Syed immigrated to the United States with her family when she was twelve years old.  At a young age, Judge Syed decided to pursue law as a profession and devoted her time and limited resources to achieving her dreams with the help from her parents, teachers, and guidance counselor who believed in her, despite all the challenges she faced as a first-generation immigrant.  

After passing the New York State bar examination, Judge Syed soon started a legal practice in Queens County to provide effective and competent legal services to the minority communities of New York City.  For many years, she wrote legal articles for Bangla newspapers on immigration and other legal issues that affected the community.  She appeared at numerous community events, seminars, and television shows to discuss legal issues that the communities faced.  For Judge Syed, it was important that immigrants and members of the public that she represented received competent representation when they navigated through the complex legal system in this country.  

In addition to Judge Syed’s legal work, she is passionate about serving the community.  During the Covid-19 pandemic, she helped communities with mask and food distribution. Judge Syed is devoted to building pipelines for next generation of legal practitioners.  She values her mentorship with students from high schools, colleges, and law schools and runs a robust internship program in her chambers.   

Judge Syed values diversity and representation.  She has held leadership roles and maintained membership in various bar associations.  Judge Syed currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Queens Chapter of the NYC Equal Justice Implementation Committee (NYC EJIC) in Queens County Civil Court, and a member of the NYC Access to Justice Committee of NYC Civil Court.  Judge Syed is a board member of the Asian American Judges Association of New York (AAJANY.  Judge Syed was the first South Asian and Muslim president of the Queens County Women’s Bar Association.   

Judge Syed believes that law can be a powerful vehicle to achieve, ensure, and provide justice, fairness, and equality in our society.  She has brought her years of life and professional experiences to the bench with the goal of delivering justice to the community.  Judge Syed looks forward to continuing being a jurist and serving the people with distinction and honor.

This speaker is a panelist for AABANY Trial Reenactment - Race, Color, and Citizenship: Ozawa and Thind In the 1920s.