ELMHURST — As a member of the Diocesan Review Board, Sandra Munoz always worked hard to ensure that the rights of accusers of clergy sex abuse were being respected. She is still dedicated to ensuring people’s rights. Only now, she does it from the bench.
Sandra Munoz is now Civil Court Judge Munoz after winning election in November to a seat in the 2nd Municipal District in Queens, a district that covers the central and western parts of the borough and includes neighborhoods like Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona, Maspeth, Forest Hills, and Elmhurst.
Elmhurst is a neighborhood she knows well. She is an active parishioner at St. Bartholomew Church, which is located there.
She began her 10-year term a few months ago and is currently serving as a judge in Queens Family Court. The reason she sits on the bench there is because judges are sometimes asked to preside over cases out of their jurisdictions depending on the needs of the court system.
Family court would seem like a good fit for Judge Munoz, whose law practice prior to her election specialized in family and matrimonial cases.
She also spent a great deal of time as a lawyer representing children and indigent clients as a panel attorney in the court system’s Assigned Counsel Plan, commonly known as 18-B, a program in which clients who cannot afford to pay legal fees are assigned lawyers.
Much of Munoz’s private life is centered around her church, St. Bartholomew. She is a member of the parish pastoral council.
Two of her most important roles, she feels, are that of Eucharistic minister and catechist. These are roles she cherishes because they give her the chance to administer Communion and teach children about the faith.
“I think this is my way to show my love for God. I think that we are really close to God, we automatically feel the need to be involved in his work,” she explained.
To be a catechist “is not just to educate the children on Jesus and His teachings, but to inculcate a love for Christ in them,” she said.
Munoz’s volunteerism also extends to education. She is a member of the board of directors of St. Bartholomew Catholic Academy.
She also serves as her parish’s facilitator of Virtus, the Diocese of Brooklyn program that trains people how to spot and combat child sex abuse. All people who work with children in churches and schools in the diocese or who volunteer in children’s programs are required to undergo Virtus training.
Looking out for victims of abuse was also part of her work as a member of the Diocesan Review Board, where she served for 14 years.
The review board, which is composed of experts in law enforcement and other areas, looks into allegations of clergy abuse and then issues recommendations to Bishop Robert Brennan on whether the allegations should be deemed credible or not so that he can take appropriate action.
“It was an excellent group of people and I was proud to serve with them on such an important panel,” she said of her time there.
Maryellen Quinn, director of the diocese’s Office for the Protection of Children and Young People, described Munoz as a valuable member of the board and as an asset to her church.
“Through her work on the Diocesan Review Board and her work in her parish, Sandra is just a champion for protecting children. The wealth of knowledge she brought to the review board is something we used to our benefit,” Quinn said.
Due to her elevation to the bench, Munoz had to resign from the review board.
“It’s a great loss for us. We are looking for someone, but Sandra left big shoes to fill,” Quinn explained.
Munoz said she believes that all of her experiences — as a lawyer, as a volunteer, and as an advocate for children — helps her as she serves on the bench.
“I believe that like all my life experiences, especially in my church, has helped me to relate to the people that come before me as a judge,” she explained.