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Karen Beltran, Esq. ’02 Appointed Yonkers City Court Judge

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano swore in Beltran at a ceremony at Yonkers City Hall, just steps away from where she grew up.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano swore in Karen T. Beltran, Esq. ’02 (anthropology), as the newest City Court judge on Sunday, February 5.

Beltran immigrated from Colombia at age seven as a non-native speaker, settled with her family in Yonkers, NY, and became a naturalized citizen at age 18.

A product of public schools, Beltran tells of growing up three blocks from Yonkers City Hall, where she now stood at the podium for the swearing-in ceremony. And having passed by the building countless times, “but never did I imagine that I would be a sitting judge in the Yonkers City Court.”

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and Judge Karen T. Beltran '02 at the swearing-in ceremony.

Beltran spent more than 15 years serving the Westchester County government, most recently as the deputy administrator for Westchester County’s Independent Office of Assigned Counsel and as the senior assistant county attorney for the County’s Family Law and Litigation Bureaus. She served as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

As a child from an immigrant family, a proud Yonkers Public Schools and SUNY graduate, and as a long-time public servant, this accomplishment is truly a community effort,” says Beltran. “I pledge to uphold our community values of resilience and perseverance while on the bench. I look forward to serving the public with respect, perspective, and fairness.”

“Karen’s professionalism, deep knowledge, and experience in litigation will prove to be a great asset to the Yonkers City Court system,” says Mayor Spano.


Beltran is a member of the New York State Bar Association and, next June, will become the vice president of the 9th Judicial District of the organization. She is a member of the board of directors of the Westchester County Bar Association and the Westchester County Black Bar Association and a member of the NYS Grievance Committee. She also serves on the board of directors for Yonkers Partners in Education and CLUSTER Community Services.

Previously, she was president of the Yonkers PTA and the region director of the Westchester/East Putnam Region PTA (WEPR).

An active participant in alumni activities, she recently participated in an event presented by the Purchase LatinX Alumni Network (PLXN) in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month last fall.

Beltran fills the vacant seat left by Judge Elena Goldberg-Velazquez and will run for a full 10-year term in the November 2023 election.

Beltran holds a Juris Doctor Degree from the University at Buffalo School of Law.

The Honorable Karen T. Beltran '02, newly appointed judge in the Yonkers City Court