Some children dream at a young age of what they would like to achieve and what career they will have. Growing up, Buffalo City Court Judge Betty Calvo-Torres was dubbed argumentative by her grandmother, but wanting to make a difference. Subsequently, Calvo-Torres was given the nickname “little lawyer.”

Calvo-Torres made her way through the streets of Harlem in New York City, where she grew up, winning a scholarship to attend SUNY Brockport and a fellowship to the University at Buffalo’s School of Law, becoming a litigator and eventually a judge; she was named Buffalo’s first female Hispanic judge in 2007. Currently, she is an elected member of the city court system, but she is also running to be elected into the New York State Supreme Court, and if she wins that election, she’ll be New York State’s only female Hispanic supreme court justice outside of New York City.

“I saw that there was a real void in Buffalo’s judiciary. Although the majority of the people that come in through the Buffalo City Court doors are minorities - African-Americans and Hispanics - there wasn’t a single Hispanic on the Buffalo City Court bench,” said Calvo-Torres. “Then Mayor Byron Brown had the opportunity to fill that void and to create some diversity. I was appointed by the mayor in June of 2007 and elected in November. I never thought that I would be a judge, but I always wanted to be a lawyer.”

Calvo-Torres has been making her mark in firsts since her childhood. She was born to a single, Dominican mother who was a first generation immigrant. Her mother didn’t speak English and didn’t have any marketable skills coming into the United States, but Calvo-Torres was the first in her family to attend college and the first to complete law school.

One thing that wasn’t a first for Calvo-Torres was that she never became a product of her environment, of Harlem. Her mother kept her grounded and focused on what was important.

Until the eighth grade, Calvo-Torres received a private Catholic school education, in which her mother, working a minimum wage job, saved to provide her daughter with the education she deserved. In high school, she attended one of the worst in New York City at the time, Louis D. Brandeis High School.

“While attending Brandeis, we had at least two people killed, one person was thrown out a window, another person had a pencil put in his eye, and another was shot on the corner. It was a really rough school, but the one thing that I had that made such a difference in my life was a mom who passionately and relentlessly cared about me and my education, and provided me with high expectations and structure,” said Calvo-Torres.

“When everyone else was allowed to go play outside, I wasn’t unless my mom was outside with me. I was given very little leeway in terms of what I was allowed to do, unless it was in a structured environment.”

Calvo-Torres got involved in as many extracurricular activities, including the debate team, cheerleading and gymnastics. When Calvo-Torres would show her mom a paper that received a grade of 90, her mother would ask her what happened to the other 10 points. Although not fluent in the language coupled with very little money that she did have, her mother would pay for a tutor for Calvo-Torres so that she could further succeed.

“She knew that she couldn’t explain it to me, but my mother also knew that she could pay someone to explain it to me,” said Calvo-Torres. “Although it was a challenging environment, I was never allowed to become a product of it or a victim of the environment.”

Her mother has been retired for 10 years now, and currently resides in the Dominican Republic. Calvo-Torres visits her mom a few times a year and her mom comes up to see her 7-year-old grandson.

In 1999, Calvo-Torres passed her bar exam. Initially in her private practice, Calvo-Torres was a law guardian for children. She advocated for minors who were the issue of a custody battle, a neglect petition, or a a person in need of supervision petition. As a judge, Calvo-Torres is one of two that deal with domestic violence. She also presides over compliance court.

During law school, she met her husband and ended up staying in Buffalo, falling in love with the city and surrounding communities.

“I’ve never regretted it a day and I love the community. We have our intricacies and our challenges, but it’s like any other community,” said Calvo-Torres. “I don’t think we’re any worse than other communities. My husband and I have a problem sitting on the sidelines, so when I see an issue, I get involved. We’re really active in not only the Hispanic community, but in the Western New York community. All of the issues affect different communities, they don’t exist in silos. If one community is devastated by poverty, drugs or crime, it impacts us all. I wish that we as Western New Yorkers would recognize that and not focus on one sub community, but understand that the overall wellness of all communities benefits us all.”

Calvo-Torres served as a commissioner of the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority, past president of the Minority Bar Association of Western New York and Hispanic Women’s League, Inc. Currently, she is on the board of directors for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo and serves as chair of the program committee. She also serves as chair of Read to Succeed Buffalo, is vice-chair of Nativity Miguel Middle School of Buffalo, frequently speaks at educational institutions across Western New York and is on the advisory board of Trocaire College/Workforce Development.

By running for state Supreme Court, Calvo-Torres is not making the difficult transition like she did from lawyer to judge. She is just switching benches.

“At the end of the day, a judge is a judge is a judge,” said Calvo-Torres. “With this election, judges don’t take on issues or tell constituents how we will rule on a law because we don’t know until it’s presented to us. All that we can promise you - and all that we should be required to promise - and in fact it’s part of the oath we take, is to uphold the law, to be fair and impartial, and treat people with fairness, dignity and respect.”

On a personal level, the transition from lawyer to ruler of the courtroom was an isolating one. For weeks, Calvo-Torres may not see a colleague, as each one has their own chambers, unless she makes a conscious decision to see them. She must also have an appearance of propriety. She can’t mingle with defense attorneys or go to lunch with district attorneys. To cope with this, Calvo-Torres has a strong family base and a few good friends that have stood by her.

“My wonderful husband keeps me grounded. If I’m having a particularly bad day or an especially difficult day, I get to go home and vent to my husband and enjoy my son, because once you have a little person in your life, you don’t get to carry that stuff home with you,” said Calvo-Torres. “You check work at the door when you get home and you turn into mommy. That’s a real stress reliever, that it’s ok to switch roles and be a mommy.”

In her chambers, Calvo-Torres copes with a bad day by looking at the many photographs of her son and family, mostly taken by her, as she is an avid photographer.

Calvo-Torres faced many challenges when she was elected to the bench of the city court system as the first Hispanic female judge. Her first challenge was to get the majority to recognize the need for inclusion and diversity on the bench.

“Having that kind of inclusion and diversity on the bench gives the general public the opportunity to know that their perspective is heard and considered. That doesn’t mean that when you’re from a particular community you represent that community on the bench because you’re obliged to uphold the law, but it does mean that that perspective is brought to the table in making those decisions alone with first and foremost, understanding the law,” said Calvo-Torres.

In the beginning of her judiciary career, many people made assumptions based on how Calvo-Torres looks. She is petite. She is Hispanic. She looks young.

“That thinking I quickly dispelled. Once people were able to see for themselves that you have a true understanding of the law, a love for the law, that you have the open mind that is required to consider the issues as they are brought to you, the willingness to work hard doing that day in and day out and that you treat everyone with respect and dignity, than people no longer consider you anything but a judge,” said Calvo-Torres. “I happen to be of Hispanic descent, but I’m a judge.”

For Calvo-Torres, being named the city’s first Hispanic female judge is both humbling and challenging. She opened the door and now is faced with the challenges of keeping that door, that opportunity, reachable for everyone. Calvo-Torres lamented that she can’t afford to fail. She has to be the absolute best and show her competence and always set an example. She’s very aware that this isn’t just about her. Calvo-Torres mentors and has interns every semester ranging from high school students to law students.

Calvo-Torres has had so many firsts and has continuously been a shining example in her communities; she still faces the challenge everyday of juggling her career, being a judge and her family.

“The reality is that women have been doing this for years, in terms of working and being a mom. The nature of the work has changed, but the work has always existed, and I think that we as women are incredibly and naturally gifted with the ability to multitask and to prioritize,” said Calvo-Torres. “My number one priority is being a good mom, intertwined with that is being a good role model. They are mutually exclusive.”
Calvo-Torres sets the bar high and is very conscious of the fact that her son looks to her for an example.

“This [election] is an opportunity to not only make history, but to show my son by example that if you set your mind to it, study hard and work hard than you can achieve all of your goals,” said Calvo-Torres.

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