Nearly 100 people gathered on the steps of Queens Supreme Court to celebrate the legacy of a remarkable court officer.
Court officers dressed in full uniform, along with court clerks, judges, family members, and friends, gathered in front of the courthouse, located at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., for Major Ernest Owens’ walkout ceremony on the afternoon of Thursday, June 26.
Major Owens retired after 46 and a half years of dedicated service to the New York State Unified Court System. Owens’ nearly 50-year career spanned multiple command posts, including Kings County Criminal Court, Applicant Verification Unit, Kings County Supreme Court, Queens County Supreme Court, and Queens County Supreme Court-Civil.
Owens spoke to QNS about his career in the city’s court system and described the changes he witnessed over time. “There’s been a lot of changes in the court system, both good and bad—but mostly good, and I enjoyed working in the courts; that’s why I stayed so long,” he said. Owens was born in Brooklyn and raised in Jamaica, and he said it was important to him to be able to work in the area where he grew up.
Owens took multiple city exams and landed his job as a court officer, starting his career in Kings County Criminal Court in 1978. He also served his community by leading fraternal organizations. He was the longest-serving president of the Tribune Society of New York City Courts, a fraternal organization of African Americans and other minority judicial and non-judicial court personnel. He also sat on the executive board of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) for nearly 8 years.
Owens said he enjoyed nurturing early-career officers who would go through the court system. “Every year was different, so I stayed working with the new officers, helping them advance in their careers, and I worked with a lot of fraternal organizations,” he said.
Owens mentioned that, given his rank as a Black man in the court system, he hopes to inspire others to realize they can also succeed in this field. “It represents that they can also achieve if they put their mind to it, get their education, and stay on point, and they can achieve anything they want to be,” he said.
Owens’ grandson Daitwan Owens described his grandfather as a man with gentle strength.
Daitwan said the walkout ceremony was a bittersweet experience, and he plans to honor his grandfather’s legacy by following in his footsteps. “I took the test a year ago and I passed it. He encouraged me and inspired me to take the exam… It’s a pretty great career. I’ve seen him do a lot of great things, influence a lot of great people, encourage people, he’s inspired a lot of people to go further in their careers,” Daitwan said. “ I’ve always been his shadow, I never think that’s ever going to change,” he added.
A few of Owens’ colleagues gave testaments to his character.
Jocelyn Murphy, an associate court clerk for Manhattan Family Court and a member of the Tribune Society, described Owens as a remarkable leader. “He’s been a wonderful president and wonderful person. How could you not come to support someone who spent 46 years in the court system? He made it all the way up to major, which is very rare for an African American, and that’s just great, I had to be here,” Murphy said. “Mr. Owens is always very friendly, he’s always easy to talk to. The organization has various programs that help minorities… just in interacting with other people from other boroughs, some of the judges and chief clerks are involved in the organization, so it helps you network,” she said.
Wayne Powell has had a decades-long friendship with Owens. Their relationship began in 1986, when Owens was Powell’s sergeant at the beginning of Powell’s career.
Powell described Owens as a man of few words and a gentle spirit.
“Ernest, as an individual, is just a pure heart. He’s Christ-like, so humble and unassuming and handles things like a stealth plane, you don’t have to know he’s there, but when you know, it’s covered,” he said.
Powell said he felt extremely proud to see his friend retire with an outpouring of overwhelming support. “ It was so wonderful to see him finally say goodbye, and the walkout was astonishing, and he had all the support he needed,” he said.
