Newark, NJ – November 11, 2009 – Victoria Pratt was sworn in yesterday as the first Dominican judge to sit on the Newark city bench.

Following a career that included being counsel to city council president Mildred Crump; working in the counsel’s office for governors Jim McGreevey and Richard Codey, and being the compliance officer for the Camden school district that helped uncover rampant fraud and put one principal behind bars; Pratt takes the bench as the 11th Newark municipal judge.

“It is a proud moment for the thriving Dominican Community in Newark and throughout the state to see one of their own dispensing justice in the city where they live and make their contributions”, said Maria Teresa Feliciano, President of the New Jersey Conference on Dominican Affairs, “it is only when cities and a states benefit from the talent of all its residents that they become great”, she concluded.”

As the attorney for the council president she helped draft legislation and advised the council on legal matters until her appointment by Mayor Corey Booker and unanimous confirmation by the city council.

“The Newark municipal court is like no other municipal court in the state,” Pratt said, adding that it has three times the case load of the next largest city in New Jersey. “I’m incredibly excited about it.”

Pratt said her experiences in government and history as an advocate will help inform her decisions on the bench.