On May 9th, Senator Montgomery and the New York State Senate honored Judge Betty E. Staton as a 2017 Woman of Distinction.  

As New York State commemorates the 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage, Senator Montgomery is proud to pay tribute to a personal shero, mentor and friend. Judge Staton is a tireless warrior, an iconic trailblazer and an unsung shero in our community. She is an inspirational role model and a visionary leader who has selflessly devoted her life to empowering our community.

Judge Staton is a distinguished jurist who spent almost 20 years on the bench of Kings County Family Court before returning to the Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services Corporation (BSCLS) where she began her legal career in 1979. She is currently President of Brooklyn Legal Services (BLS), an organization that has provided free legal services to poor and low-income Brooklyn residents for 50 years.

Judge Staton is a distinguished lawyer and legal scholar. In March 1987, she became a founding partner in Boyd Staton & Cave, the first African American female law firm in New York. She was an instructor at several colleges, including New York City College of Technology, where she taught Business Law for more than 15 years. 

Judge Staton has two sons, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She loves to dance and is the 2013 winner of the Stars of New York Dance, a New York City dance competition that provides scholarships for aspiring young dancers.

A servant leader at the Emmanuel Baptist Church and a worship leader for the Prime Time Senior ministry, Judge Staton feels blessed to have served her community throughout her legal career. Her greatest hope is that her work and daily life reflect the highest recommendation of God’s love for us.

For more information about Judge Staton, please visit https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/articles/velmanette-montgomery/betty-e-staton

For information about the Bedford Stuyvesant Community Legal Services Corporation (BSCLS), please visit http://bscls.org/

To watch the 2017 Women of Distinction Ceremony, visit https://youtu.be/iqMHFiCppio