First Latino judge appointed in Prince William County as part of state-lead courts diversification effort

Prince William County has become a more diverse place over the years, and now, so is its court system.

Six new judges, all of whom are people of color, have been appointed to various courts in Northern Virginia following an effort by Virginia Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy (D-2nd, Stafford, Woodbridge) to diversify the ethnicities of the judges appointed to serve the courts. Dubbed ‘Diversifying the Bench,’ the effort aims to “build a strong pipeline of underrepresented people applying to judge appointmentship,” according to the lawmaker.

Among the newly appointed judges is Carlos Laboy, who will serve on the Prince William County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Once Laboy’s term begins on June 1, he will be the first Latino judge appointed in Prince William County.

Laboy grew up in a military family, traveling throughout most of his childhood, and settling in Prince William County in 2001. He taught biology and chemistry at Gar-Field High School for a year and then went on to graduate from The George Washington University School of Law. Laboy currently serves as a substitute district court judge in Prince William County.

“I plan to do the very best I can for [Pirnce William County]. I want the citizens to know they don’t have to be afraid to come to court,” said Laboy.

Other newly appointed judges include Sonya Sacks, Marcel Jones, Jackie Lucas, and Lorrie Sinclair Taylor.

Sinclair Taylor, who will serve on the Loudoun County bench starting in April, will be the first African-American judge appointed in Loudoun County. She grew up in New York and came to Virginia in 1989 on a track scholarship from George Mason University.

She then went on to pursue a law degree from the College of William and Mary, where she graduated from in 1996 and received the Thurgood Marshall Award for Distinguished Public Service. Until recently, Sinclair Taylor had a law firm, along with two other attorneys, called Biberaj Snow & Sinclair, PC, which closed on Dec. 31, 2019.

“As a child of immigrants, I understand the value of hard work, commitment, and dedication, and I utilize those values daily,” wrote Sinclair Taylor on her Avvo social media profile.

The path to greater racial diversity on the bench began with a 2016 study by the Virginia Coalition for Racial Diversity in the Justice System. The study looked at the demographics of the Northern Virginia area and compared it to the demographics on the bench, subsequently finding that the diversity of the area was not reflected in the courts, according to Jackie Lucas, another judge who is being appointed to the Prince William County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.

“Diversity on the bench will help improve public trust, the appearance of fairness, and it creates access to justice. You…need people on the bench who have an awareness that the law sometimes works differently for minority groups,” said Foy.