Inside the Juvenile Courtroom: How Judges Navigate Youth Cases

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Justice Raymond L. Bruce was born and raised in Washington Heights of New York County. He received his Bachelor of Arts at New York University where he had a triple major in Spanish, Mathematics and Political Science. Justice Bruce was awarded his Law Degree from Temple University School of Law. Justice Bruce enjoyed the distinct privilege of studying at the University of Madrid, resulting in his ability to read, write and speak Spanish fluently. Currently, Justice Raymond L. Bruce is one of few bilingual Justices assigned to Bronx County Supreme Court, Criminal Division. Justice Bruce also holds the distinct honor of being one of the few black males, sitting as a Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, NY County. As a result of the way he continues to feel about his community, Justice Bruce selected jobs that allowed him to advocate for the under­represented and the voiceless. Throughout his career Justice Bruce demonstrated a tenacity of fairness and being a man with a just cause. These characteristics lead our honoree to be elected among his peers to sit on the bench in 2001, the same day that New York faced the terror attacks on 9/11. Every day since this nomination, Justice Bruce sits on the bench dispensing justice in a fair manner in the Criminal Court, Bronx County. Justice Bruce believes he has been called for a purpose and blessed in many ways. He is married to Darlene and they have 2 children, Precious and Nasiah. When Justice Bruce is not with his family, he is often found at schools speaking to at risk youth, supporting community organizations and hosting interns in chambers. For these reasons, he believes he is successful, and he thanks the Lord continuously for his blessings.

Hon. Alison M. Hamanjian was appointed to the New York City Family Court by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2018 after previously serving as an Interim Civil Court Judge, assigned to Kings County Criminal Court, in 2017. In October 2018, Judge Hamanjian was designated an Acting Supreme Court Justice by Chief Administrative Judge Lawrence K. Marks and assigned to the Richmond County Youth Part where she served as a hybrid judge presiding over violent felony offenses in the Youth Part as well as juvenile delinquency, child protective, custody/visitation and family offense matters in Richmond County Family Court. In July 2022, Judge Hamanjian was appointed as the Supervising Judge of Richmond County Family Court. In December 2023, she was appointed by Chief Administrative Judge Joseph Zayas as Co-Chair of the New York State Unified Court System’s Family Court Advisory and Rules Committee and, in January 2025, Judge Hamanjian was appointed as the Supervising Judge of Bronx County Family Court. Judge Hamanjian previously served as a Court Attorney Referee in Richmond County Family Court; Assistant Deputy Counsel to Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, former Chief of Policy and Planning for the Unified Court System; and Principal Law Clerk to Hon. Michael A. Corriero, former presiding justice of Manhattan’s Youth Part. Before joining the New York State Unified Court System, Judge Hamanjian served as Supervising Attorney for the Urban Justice Center’s Domestic Violence Project and began her career as an Assistant District Attorney in Bronx County handling cases involving domestic violence, child abuse and sex crimes. Judge Hamanjian received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York and her law degree from New York Law School.

Hon. Peter Passidomo is the Deputy Administrative Judge of the New York City Family Court. He was appointed to the Family Court Bench by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2012 and reappointed to a new term by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022. Along with the Administrative Judge, Judge Passidomo overseas the entire NYC Family Court including 73 Judges, 39 Support Magistrates and 35 Court Attorney-Referees as well as over 1200 non-judicial employees. Since his appointment as Deputy Administrative Judge, Judge Passidomo has focused on improving the process for child support litigants. As a result, the Support Triage Part opened in Kings County Family Court in March 2025, where litigants are greeted by court staff to review and collect financial documents, the parties then meet with a court attorney to explain the process and attempt to resolve the case before the parties appear in the courtroom before the support magistrate. Delays have been reduced by over 75% since the new Part has opened and cases are resolved expeditiously. In addition to his responsibilities as Deputy Administrative Judge, Judge Passidomo sits in the Bronx County Family Court presiding over cases involving Juvenile Delinquency, Child Neglect and Abuse, as well as confirmation hearings in support cases where incarceration is recommended by the support magistrate. He is also the presiding Judge for the Crossover Youth Practice Model implemented in the Bronx in 2013. In this role, Judge Passidomo hears cases charging Juvenile Delinquency against youth who are in the foster care system as a result of parental neglect or abuse. Judge Passidomo has served the New York State Family Court in many high-level positions over the past 34 years. Prior to his appointment to the Family Court Bench in 2012, Judge Passidomo served as the Chief Clerk of the New York City Family Court; Chief Magistrate of the New York State Family Court and as Vice Dean of the New York State Judicial Institute. Judge Passidomo graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany in 1982, with a B.A. degree. He received his J.D. degree from Fordham Law School in 1985, graduating in the top 10% of his class.