Julie Milner

Julie Milner (Democratic Party) ran in a special election for the Queens 2nd Municipal Court District judge of the New York City Civil Court Queens County. She lost in the special Democratic primary on June 24, 2025.

Milner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Julie Milner was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wofford College in 1985, a law degree from City University of New York Law School in 2008, and a Ph.D. from Long Island University in 2023. Her career experience includes working as a college professor, high school teacher, and arbitrator. She has been affiliated with The American Educational Research Association, Mensa, and Daughters of the American Revolution.^[1]^[2]

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District (2 seats)

Eve Cho Guillergan, Thomas Wright-Fernandez, and Stephen Dachtera are running in the special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate
		Eve Cho Guillergan (D)
		Thomas Wright-Fernandez (D)
	Submit photo	Stephen Dachtera (R / Conservative Party)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District (2 seats)

Eve Cho Guillergan defeated Julie Milner in the special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District on June 24, 2025.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Eve Cho Guillergan	58.4	22,076
	Julie Milner	41.6	15,711
	Other/Write-in votes	0.0	14

	There were no incumbents in this race. Source	Total votes: 37,801
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Queens County, New York (2024)

Note: Two seats were on the ballot in the New York City Civil Court Queens County 2024 primary. Three additional seats were added to the ballot before the general election.

General election

Special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County (5 seats)

The following candidates ran in the special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Peter F. Lane (D / R)	20.0	532,153
✔		Glenda Hernandez (D)	14.7	391,470
✔	Submit photo	Amish Doshi (D)	14.5	384,304
✔		Melissa Deberry (D)	13.7	363,119
✔		Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar (D)	13.2	351,211
		William Shanahan (R / Conservative Party / Common Sense Party)	8.3	220,878
		Mary-Ann Maloney (R)	7.9	209,942
	Submit photo	Stephen Dachtera (R)	7.2	189,904
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	11,286

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,654,267
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County (5 seats)

Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar and Glenda Hernandez defeated Julie Milner and Amish Doshi in the special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County on June 25, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sharifa Nasser-Cuellar	29.9	31,340
✔		Glenda Hernandez	27.7	29,000
		Julie Milner	21.2	22,173
	Submit photo	Amish Doshi	20.3	21,279
		Other/Write-in votes	0.8	852

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 104,644
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. William Shanahan advanced from the special Republican primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County.

Conservative Party primary election

The Conservative Party primary election was canceled. William Shanahan advanced from the special Conservative Party primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Milner in this election.

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

Julie Milner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Milner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Julie M. Milner, Esq. is a constitutional and civil rights attorney managing her own firm and is also an education professor and dissertation advisor at Long Island University. She brings a wealth of legal experience along with a scholarly approach to the bench. She graduated from CUNY Law School in 2008 and is admitted to practice in NY and CT states; SDNY and EDNY federal courts; 2nd and 10th Circuits; and is the only Queens Municipal District 2 candidate admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Her three campaign values are Equality, Trust, and Justice. Serving as an arbitrator for over a decade with the Part 137 Attorney Client Fee Dispute program in the Queens Civil Court has honed Milner’s skills at balancing inequities. She believes it is her civic duty to run to give the people a meaningful choice. Year after year, the judicial candidates are selected rather than elected. Milner strives to return the judicial seats to We the People and stop the Party machine from doling these out to political hacks behind closed doors. She hopes to inspire other reform-minded attorneys to campaign in the future and to run a clean race. She asks voters to do their due diligence and look up all the candidates, not just the judicial ones, to see whose values align with their own, and whose background and experience inspires confidence that they will serve the voter and fairly represent their community. To learn more, please visit the campaign website at JulieMilner.com.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

EQUALITY is Dr. Milner’s top campaign value and is crucial to ensure equal access to justice. As an arbitrator in the Attorney Fee Dispute Program, Milner has witnessed an inherent imbalance of power between litigants and attorneys, litigants and the court, even attorneys and the judge. Milner pledges to treat everyone with respect, be patient with newly admitted attorneys, and ensure that litigants understand the process. Due care must be given to pro se litigants as not everyone can afford to hire a lawyer.
TRUST is Milner’s second campaign value as it is a huge issue in our country right now. We are deeply divided along political, racial, and other identity lines with a deep distrust of the "other" side. The courtroom must be the great equalizer as blind Lady Justice does not see political party, racial background, socioeconomic status, or gender identity. As one of the three branches of government, the judiciary must be fully independent and free from outside influence. When judges are selected rather than elected, they are beholden to the powers that installed them to the bench. Trust must be restored by judges elected by We the People who only decide cases on the law and the applicability of that law to the facts before them.
JUSTICE, Milner’s third campaign value, is the cornerstone of democracy. The judicial branch serves as an important check and balance on the legislative and executive branches of our government. We must trust our court system to apply the law fairly and efficiently without legislating from the bench. No one should be able to predict the outcome of a case due to a judge’s political leanings. Justice demands putting personal beliefs aside and applying the law as legislators intended. There is a critical need for judges who are not beholden to Party dogma or influenced by special interests. Julie Milner is a fair, reform-minded, independent thinker who respects the Constitution, and is ready to do the People’s work needed in the judiciary.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Law and education are Julie Milner's twin passions. As a former teacher in the NYC public school system, Milner was dismayed to realize that the Title I, low performing, and high-needs schools where she taught were very different from the schools her own children attended. Milner transitioned to higher learning as an education professor so she could equip new educators with the tools to close the equity gaps and fight for their students’ educational needs. She advises dissertation students so she can shape the research that will influence policymakers to make top-down changes. If elected, Milner will partner with schools to educate students on the judicial system and create internships and learning opportunities for all students.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I am running for judge because I am a strong, independent, reform-minded lawyer resistant to outside influence and temptation. I will do the People's job efficiently and effectively, placing the law first and foremost in all my decisions. I am empathetic, patient, scholarly and astute, which are crucial attributes for a jurist. I am the only judicial candidate in Queens who holds two doctorates, and I am the only judicial candidate for Municipal 2 who has both litigation and arbitration experience in Queens Civil Court.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to educate voters more about the election process and empower them to reclaim a government of, by and for the People. I also want to inspire young folks to become more civically engaged in democracy.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Empathy is absolutely an essential quality for a judge. As a high school teacher, I quickly learned that empathy was key to bonding with students to facilitate learning. When I transitioned to higher learning and became an education professor, empathy was at the root of my pedagogy. As an attorney, I served working poor and middle-income folks to help them get justice that they could not otherwise afford. As an arbitrator with the Attorney Client Fee Dispute Program in Queens Civil Court Part 137, I have a great deal of empathy for clients who did not understand the retainer agreement, as well as for well-meaning attorneys who are taken advantage of by ill-intentioned clients. To learn more about my views on empathy, please read my scholarly article that I co-write with some of my student educators: Milner, J. M., Fisher, H., Melendez, J., & Thomas, T. (2022). For “KEEPS": Empowering Student Educators' Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Classroom Practices. Voices in Urban Education, 50(2).

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am very concerned about outside influence on our judiciary, which was intended by our Framers to be an independent check and balance on the other two branches of government. These judicial seats for far too long have been used as party favors to dole out to political hacks. We rarely have a meaningful election for our judges as they are typically decided in a behind-closed-doors process by the Party Machine. I am running to give voters a true choice and I hope I inspire other like-minded attorneys to run next year. We must restore trust in our judicial system by reclaiming these seats for We the People.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

Under the judicial candidate ethical rules, we are not required to submit ourselves to the Bar Association ratings process. Unfortunately, this will automatically result in an “Unqualified” rating which to me is a tacit threat to comply. Refusing to comply is not the same thing as being unqualified for the position, so it is unfair that the Bar Associations do not make this distinction. I have served on the National Moot Court Judges’ Committee in City Bar as well as was elected Secretary of the Professional Disciplinary Committee with the NY State Bar for a number of years. I have a spotless record. Nevertheless, I will not submit myself for ratings as I am not required to do so.
By refusing to submit myself to the Bar Associations, let me make clear that I am asserting my First Amendment right to protest against what I believe is an unfair, partisan process. Last year, a sitting judge who was running for a higher judicial position in Queens was rated “Unapproved” despite receiving an “Approval” rating from that very same association just a couple of years before, and a “Highly Approved” rating from another association contemporaneously. No reason was given for this shocking rating, and it appeared to be a calculated political move to sideline her campaign so that the Democratic Machine’s pick would win the race. Since my opponent works full time for that association, I do not trust that I will be fairly evaluated. I urge the voters to do their own due diligence to see who has the right qualifications and skillset to ascend to the bench.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2024

Julie Milner completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Milner's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Dr. Julie M. Milner, Esq. is a constitutional and civil rights attorney managing her own firm and is also an education professor and dissertation advisor at Long Island University. She brings a wealth of legal experience along with a scholarly approach to the bench. She graduated from CUNY Law School in 2008 and is admitted to practice in NY and CT states; SDNY and EDNY federal courts; 2nd and 10th Circuits; and is the only Queens judicial candidate admitted to practice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Her three campaign values are Equity, Trust, and Justice. Serving as an arbitrator for over a decade with the Part 137 Attorney Client Fee Dispute program has honed Milner’s skills at balancing inequities. She believes it is her civic duty to run to give the people a meaningful choice. Year after year, the judicial candidates are selected rather than elected. Milner strives to return the judicial seats to We the People rather than continuing to allow the Party machine to dole these out to political hacks behind closed doors. She hopes to inspire other reform-minded attorneys to campaign in the future and to run a clean race. She asks voters to do their due diligence and look up all the candidates, not just the judicial ones, to see whose values align with their own, and whose background and experience inspires confidence that they will serve the voter and fairly represent their community. To learn more, please visit the campaign website at JulieMilner.com.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Equity is Dr. Milner’s top campaign value and is crucial to ensure equal access to justice. Equity has become a politically divisive term, but in a judicial context the meaning is about giving people what they need in order to access justice. Equity is about equal opportunities, not equal outcomes. As an arbitrator in the Attorney Fee Dispute Program, Milner has witnessed an inherent imbalance of power between litigants and attorneys, litigants and the court, even attorneys and the judge. Milner pledges to treat everyone with respect, be patient with newly admitted attorneys, and ensure that litigants understand the process. Due care must be given to pro se litigants as not everyone can afford to hire a lawyer.
Trust is Milner’s second campaign value as it is a huge issue in our country right now. We are deeply divided along political, racial, and other identity lines with a deep distrust of the "other" side. The courtroom must be the great equalizer as blind Lady Justice does not see political party, racial background, socioeconomic status, or gender identity. As one of the three branches of government, the judiciary must be fully independent and free from influence. When judges are selected rather than elected, they are beholden to the powers that installed them to the bench. Trust must be restored by judges elected by We the People who only decide cases on the law and the applicability of that law to the facts before them.
Justice, Milner’s third campaign value, is the cornerstone of democracy. The judicial branch serves as an important check and balance on the legislative and executive branches of our government. We must trust our court system to apply the law fairly and efficiently without legislating from the bench. No one should be able to predict the outcome of a case due to a judge’s political leanings. Justice demands putting personal beliefs aside and applying the law as legislators intended. There is a critical need for judges who are not beholden to Party dogma or influenced by special interests. Julie Milner is a fair, reform-minded, independent thinker who respects the Constitution, and is ready to do the People’s work needed in the judiciary.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Law and education are Julie Milner's twin passions. Milner’s primary campaign value of Equity stems from her time as a teacher in the NYC public school system. She was dismayed to realize that the Title I, low performing, and high-needs schools where she taught were very different from the schools her own children attended. Milner transitioned to higher learning as an education professor so she could equip new educators with the tools to close the equity gaps and fight for their students’ educational needs. She advises dissertation students so she can shape the research that will influence policymakers to make top-down changes. If elected, Milner will partner with schools to educate students on the judicial system and create internships.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am running for judge because I am a strong, independent, reform-minded lawyer resistant to outside influence and temptation. I will do the People's job efficiently and effectively, placing the law first and foremost in all my decisions. I am empathetic, patient, scholarly and astute, which are crucial attributes for a jurist. I am the only judicial candidate in Queens who holds two doctorates and I am the only judicial candidate in Queens who is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

I most admire Honorable Jenny Rivera, Associate Judge of the Court of Appeals, because she is an astute jurist who always rules to the letter of the law. Instead of legislating from the bench, she respects the primacy of the legislature, such as calling attention to the legislative history that flies in the face of the implied assumption of the risk doctrine. She has called for a correction of past errors by abandoning it entirely to comport with the legislative intent (see Grady and Secky). She is also willing to issue an opinion that she knows will be wildly unpopular, yet she stays true to the law (Weinstein). That is the kind of judge I will strive to be. When a matter comes before me, the only thing that should matter is the law and the applicability of that law to the facts in the case.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Empathy is absolutely an essential quality for a judge. As a high school teacher, I quickly learned that empathy was key to bonding with students to facilitate learning. When I transitioned to higher learning and became an education professor, empathy was at the root of my pedagogy. As an attorney, I served working poor and middle-income folks to help them get justice that they could not otherwise afford. As an arbitrator with the Attorney Client Fee Dispute Program in Queens Civil Court Part 137, I have a great deal of empathy for clients who did not understand the retainer agreement, as well as for well-meaning attorneys who are taken advantage of by ill-intentioned clients. To learn more about my views on empathy, please read my scholarly article that I co-write with some of my student educators: Milner, J. M., Fisher, H., Melendez, J., & Thomas, T. (2022). For “KEEPS": Empowering Student Educators' Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Classroom Practices. Voices in Urban Education, 50(2).

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am very concerned about outside influence on our judiciary, which was intended by our Framers to be an independent check and balance on the other two branches of government. These judicial seats for far too long have been used as party favors to dole out to political hacks. We rarely have a meaningful election for our judges as they are typically decided in a behind-closed-doors process by the Party Machine. I am running to give voters a true choice and I hope I inspire other like-minded attorneys to run next year. We must restore trust in our judicial system by reclaiming these seats for We the People.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

I did not submit myself to the Bar Association ratings process. Unfortunately, this will automatically result in an “Unqualified” rating which to me is a tacit threat to comply. Refusing to comply is not the same thing as being unqualified for the position, so it is unfair that the Bar Associations do not make this distinction. I have served on the National Moot Court Judges’ Committee in City Bar as well as was elected Secretary of the Professional Disciplinary Committee with the NY State Bar for a number of years. Had I submitted the applications for ratings, I have no doubt that I would have passed muster. I do believe the Bar Association ratings are informative to a judicial screening panel when judges seek to be selected rather than elected. However, in an election, the only person qualified to rate a potential judge is the individual voter. While campaigning, I have never said that I am the most qualified, or only qualified, but rather I implore voters to do their due diligence to select the candidates whose values most align with their own. We rarely have competitive Primaries for these judicial seats, which belong to We the People, and not any group or association. Let the voters choose their next judges.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Candidate

New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 3, 2024
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 21, 2025

New York courts

Federal courts:

Second Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of New York, Western District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York

State courts:

New York Court of Appeals • New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division • New York Supreme Court • New York County Courts • New York City Courts • New York Town and Village Courts • New York Family Courts • New York Surrogates' Courts • New York City Civil Court • New York City Criminal Courts • New York Court of Claims • New York Problem Solving Courts

State resources:

Courts in New York • New York judicial elections • Judicial selection in New York

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on June 3, 2024

[2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 21, 2025

[1]

[2]

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Julie Milner

Contents

Biography

Elections

2025

General election

Special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District (2 seats)

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County 2nd Municipal Court District (2 seats)

Endorsements

2024

General election

Special general election for New York City Civil Court Queens County (5 seats)

Democratic primary election

Special Democratic primary for New York City Civil Court Queens County (5 seats)

Republican primary election

Conservative Party primary election

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2025

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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