Tionn Fambro Now that Carter has accomplished a feat unmatched by any other African American woman in the Illinois 14th Judicial Circuit.
Carter became the first African American woman to serve as an associate judge of the circuit when she was appointed in April. Carter says she didn’t initially consider becoming a judge, though.
“I wanted to be a teacher. And then I got an internship at the House of Representatives. And I saw the low representation at that time of women of color that was in the that were in the House of Representatives. But I admire all women who had a voice and were speaking up for the rights of others. And I thought, hey, I want to do that, too,” Carter stated.
Although Carter has lived in the quad cities for more than 20 years, she claims to have been born and raised on the south side of Chicago.
Her undergraduate studies were at Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee, and she later attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale for her legal education.
Carter will now have the ability to alter someone’s future years and multiple cases later. Carter remarked, I can remember my children running around our homes screaming and being happy.”
Carter also mentions that she has some objectives for the time she has now that she has this chance.
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“I really just want to be the best judge that I can be, I want to be fair, I want to make sure that I listen not only to respond but also to understand, I want to make sure that individuals who may not be represented by attorneys have equal access to the courts, I want to make sure that everyone feels treated fairly in the courts,” Carter stated.
Carter claims that before accepting her bench seat, she worked in the juvenile delinquency, abuse and neglect, and other divisions for a considerable amount of time, in addition to accomplishing other goals. She claims that the end result justifies her years of labor.
“Just because a dream seems like it’s impossible to achieve, if you set your mind to it, and you’re committed to expressing the work ethic to achieve that goal, it is possible. And I’m hoping that by being appointed that shows that all dreams are possible,” Carter stated. “I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be the to be the first African American judge, a female judge in this circuit, and if I have to take some punches, then I will. But so far I’ve been very welcomed and very well received. And I feel that that creates an opportunity for more individuals to be received very well.”
