Michele Titus Explained

Michele R. Titus
Order:New York City Civil Court Judge
Status:Incumbent
Term Start:January 1, 2020
State Assembly1:New York
District1:31st
Term Start1:April 22, 2002[1]
Term End1:January 1, 2020[2] [3]
Predecessor1:Pauline Rhodd-Cummings
Birth Date:22 September 1969
Birth Place:Queens, New York, U.S.
Party:Democratic
Spouse:Eric DeBerry[4]
Children:Two
Alma Mater:Binghamton University
Albany Law School
Profession:Politician; judge
Signature:Michele Titus Signature.png

Michele R. Titus is an American politician and jurist from Queens, New York who has served as a New York City Civil Court Judge since January 2020. A Democrat, Titus previously represented District 31 in the New York State Assembly from 2002 to 2020.

Biography

Titus is a lifelong resident of Queens and graduated from John Adams High School.[5] She received a B.A. degree in political science from Binghamton University (State University of New York) in 1990.[5] [6] Titus earned her J.D. from the Albany Law School in 1993[7] and was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1994.[5]

Prior to her election to the Assembly, Titus served as Chief of Staff to Senator Ada Smith and a Executive Director for the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus. She had previously been an attorney for the New York City Board of Education. She has also been, at various times, a member of the staff of the Consumer Frauds Bureau of the New York State Attorney General's Office as well as the Integrity Bureau for the Queens County District Attorney's office.[5]

A Democrat,[8] Titus was first elected to the State Assembly in a special election held on April 16, 2002[5] to replace Assembly member Pauline Rhodd-Cummings, who died while in office. Titus also won the general election that November with 86 percent of the vote.[9] She ran uncontested in the 2008 and 2010 general elections.[10] [11] The district comprised Far Rockaway, Rosedale, Laurelton, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park and South Richmond Hill. She served on several standing committees, including Children and Families, Codes, Judiciary, Small Business and Local Governments, among others.[5] In 2017, Titus made headlines when she and her husband, Eric DeBerry, sued the state's Unified Court System. The suit alleged that DeBerry had been wrongfully terminated from his job as a court officer; it included a claim that the defendant's actions had affected the couple's sex life.[8] [12]

On November 5, 2019, Titus was elected as a New York City Civil Court Judge.[13] She took office in January 2020, stepping down from her Assembly seat.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Assemblywoman, in Office Since April, Faces a Tough Queens Field . . Jonathan P. . Hicks . September 7, 2002 . March 23, 2011 . Ms. Titus, 32.
  2. Web site: Richmond Hill town hall highlights lack of South Asians in city and state office. Queens Daily Eagle. Brand. David. 2019-11-19.
  3. Web site: What you need to know about the race to fill Michele Titus' Assembly seat. QNS.com. Parrott. Max. 2020-01-10.
  4. Web site: Assembly Member Michele R. Titus (NY) . . March 23, 2011.
  5. Web site: Michele R. Titus: Biography . . March 23, 2011.
  6. Web site: Taking Public Service To Heart . Binghamton Alumni Journal . Winter 2004 . March 23, 2011 . Michele R. Titus '90 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719150520/http://alumni.binghamton.edu/AJ/2004/winter/feature03.htm . July 19, 2011 .
  7. Web site: Albany Law Alumni Have Winning Election Season . Albany Law School . November 18, 2010 . March 23, 2011 . Michele Titus '93.
  8. Web site: Queens assemblywoman sues N.Y. for firing her husband, claims they stopped having sex since he lost his job. James. Fanelli. Daily News. 2017-09-04.
  9. Web site: Eye On Albany: New York State Assembly District 31 . Gotham Gazette . 2002.
  10. Web site: Election Results 2008: New York State Legislature . . 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120511013928/http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/legislature/new-york.html . 2012-05-11 .
  11. Web site: Election Results 2010: New York State Legislature . . 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120615060350/http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/results/new-york/state-legislature . 2012-06-15 .
  12. Web site: New York lawmaker sues state for ruining her sex life. September 5, 2017. WGNTV.com.
  13. Web site: Katz, Williams and the rest of the Democrats win in NYC. Coltin. Jeff. 2019-11-06. City & State NY. en. 2020-01-15.