Mayor Adams Nominates Brooklyn Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix to Serve as City’s Top Lawyer

By Yehudit Garmaise

Mayor Eric Adams nominated Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix, an appellate judge who lives in Brooklyn, as his corporation counsel: the city’s chief legal officer who defends the city when it is sued.

The corporation counsel, a nomination that must be first confirmed by the City Council, not only defends against civil claims that are filed against the city, but she also negotiates settlements and prosecutes juvenile delinquency cases.

“The Law Department plays an indispensable role in providing the legal architecture needed for the administration to carry out its vision,” said Mayor Adams. “Sylvia Hinds-Radix has not only the brilliant legal mind, but also the emotional intelligence needed to lead the department as our next corporation counsel.

For former Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city’s law department was led by Georgia Pestana, who vigorously defending the rights of the mayor and Dave Chokshi, MD, the city’s health commissioner, to issue vaccine mandates to promote public safety and to save lives.

Hinds-Radix, who was born in Barbados, attended the University of Massachusetts and earned a master’s degree at Long Island University, before going to law school at Howard University, in Washington, DC.

In 2004, Hinds-Radix, who conducted Mayor Adams swearing-in ceremony in Times Square on Jan. 1, was elected to the Supreme Court, Kings County, where she has served, earning great respect from the Brooklyn legal community.

From 2002 to 2004, Hinds-Radix served as a civil court judge in New York City.

On Oct. 1, 2012, Hinds-Radix was appointed to the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and in 2020, Hinds-Radix, was designated as a member of the New York State Constitutional Bench.

“I look forward to ensuring that fairness and justice is carried out for the residents of the city of New York,” said Corporation Counsel Hinds-Radix.

Photo by: Flickr