NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The Honorable LaShann DeArcy Hall of New York’s Eastern District, is granting PIX11 News the rare opportunity to interview a sitting federal judge.
You may have recently heard her name mentioned in the news.
She presided over the Jam Master Jay murder trial which ended last month with a jury finding two defendants guilty on all counts.
It is a case that she is still not able to discuss in detail.
“A motion is pending in my court. My most recent experience was the experience of a lifetime. I was honored to be able to serve in this role,” said Judge DeArcy Hall.
But in honor of Women’s History Month, Judge DeArcy Hall agrees to a wide-ranging discussion – from her Chambers at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn where she enjoys a reputation for the firm, yet courteous management of her courtroom.
“At the end of the day, I think people want to see that you have command of the room. I think the lawyers deserve, as well as parties, they deserve a judge who is going to come on the bench prepared,” said Judge DeArcy Hall.
As the first person in her family to go to college, Judge Hall’s story is one built on a foundation of perseverance and determination.
“I grew up under some difficult circumstances. I was raised principally by my mom, who was a young teenage mom. By all accounts, if you looked at the statistics of my circumstances of my birth and my childhood, I should not be here,” said Judge DeArcy Hall.
“A lot of my background is not by design, and that is just the truth. This notion that you have to have it all figured out at 15, 16, 20, 25 even, that you have to have it all figured out, is nonsense,” said Hall.
Judge Hall did not follow a traditional path to becoming a federal judge. She was raised in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan and attended public high school in the Bronx.
Then came a career as a professional dancer which landed her on MTV and that was followed by an enlistment in the United States Air Force.
Looking back at the impressive arc of her professional journey, she says the greatest gift we can give little girls and boys including those growing up in underserved communities is to constantly remind them no dream is too far out of reach.
“If there are little kids who see something in themselves – in my story, I think that is fantastic. Because again, my story is about, in some respects, my story is about triumph over obstacles,” said Judge DeArcy Hall.
Hall says every chapter of her story, including dance, played an important role in building character.
“Which meant I waited a lot of tables because that’s what you do when you’re a struggling artist in New York,” said Hall.
But dance ultimately gave way to a passion for the law. She trained in the tradition of late Howard Law alum and former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“I am a proud Howard University School of Law graduate,” said Judge DeArcy Hall.
After spending 15 years in private practice, Judge DeArcy Hall says she still remembers being first approached with the idea of leaving a lucrative partnership in a white-shoe law firm…for a presidential lifetime appointment on the federal bench.
“If I waited until the day, I felt confident enough to become a judge, to sit on the bench – I would not be here. Because I would have never thought that I was ready. We need to be scared out of our minds the first time we do something, and realize that it is ok,” said Hall.
She continued, “As everyone says, we stand on the shoulders of giants.”
When asked how she feels knowing there might be some people who consider her the next generation of “giants,” she replied, “Yeah. That I am not so sure of yet. So, you see I am blushing at just the idea of that. That one not so much – I am working on it. If I can one day achieve that status – then I will have done what I am supposed to do. We are all supposed to come here and do our best.”
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