Honorable Helena Heath
Albany City Court Judge
2019 Fuel Her Fire Awardee

Judge Helena Heath was appointed Albany City Court Judge on April 22, 2005, becoming the first female of African descent to serve in this position in the City of Albany’s 319-year history. She was elected in November 2005 to a full term of office and then re-elected in November 2011 and in November 2017. Judge Heath is primarily assigned to the Civil and Traffic Parts of City Court where she decides thousands of cases each year and presides over trials involving contract disputes, small claims, and landlord/tenant issues. She also conducts criminal arraignments and hearings.

Judge Heath has 31 years of public service legal experience. Before ascending to the bench, she served as a Court Attorney at the New York Court of Appeals, the highest level court in the State, an Assistant Attorney General in the litigation bureau of the New York State Department of Law, an Assistant Counsel to the New York State Department of Economic Development, and a Senior Counsel for the New York State Assembly Speaker.

Judge Heath’s formal education includes a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law. She was awarded the prestigious Root-Tilden-Snow Scholarship based upon her academic excellence and commitment to public service. Judge Heath is a 2016 Capital Region Chamber Women of Excellence Award recipient and has received numerous awards from non-profit organizations and bar associations for her community service work on behalf of youth, women, and people of color.

Currently, Judge Heath is the Co-Chair of the Diversity and Gender Fairness Committee of the Capital District Women's Bar Association and Chair of the Youth and Law Committee of the Capital District Black and Hispanic Bar Association. She has coordinated programs for the past twenty-one years with Albany Law School to expose female and minority law students to a variety of career paths, share keys to becoming a successful lawyer, and explore how female and minority attorneys can overcome gender and racial barriers in the profession. Judge Heath serves as Chair of the Advisory Committee for the Albany County Family Court Children’s Center to ensure that children are cared for in a safe and nurturing environment while their families handle court business. She also serves as a director for the Capital Area Boys and Girls Clubs and the Greater Capital Region United Way. In 2015, Judge Heath was appointed to serve on the House of Delegates for the NYS Bar Association, and in 2019 she was appointed to serve as Co-Chair of the NYS Bar Association’s Committee on Leadership Development.