Black Cosplayer Tapped by New York Mayor Eric Adams As New Judge

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams has appointed five new members to the city’s judiciary, including well-known cosplayer Dale Fong-Frederick.

According to the New York Post, Fong-Fredrick, 51, is known among fellow fantasy Middle Ages enthusiasts as Sir Jibril al-Dakhil, the fictional “son of a Moorish baron and a mother born of Spanish royalty” who is rumored to “competently dance the pole in disguise,” according to the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) website.

Fong-Fredrick describes himself as the first openly gay knight in the East Kingdom of the group, which includes the Northeast United States and Canada. Fong-Fredrick is “one of less than a dozen African-American knights,” according to his bio.

“You can be a knight in name only. You can play the game, jump through the hoops, dot your i’s and cross your t’s, get your belt, get your chain and say: Whoa, I can hit people with a stick, I’m a knight!” Fong-Fredrick said during a one-hour Zoom conference where SCA leaders dressed in full costume according to the Post.

“OR YOU CAN LOOK AT THE VIRTUES, THE PHILOSOPHY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A KNIGHT, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE VIRTUOUS, WHAT IT MEANS TO SPEAK UP FOR PEOPLE WHO CAN’T SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, WHAT IT MEANS TO DELIVER THE KING’S JUSTICE.”

Sara Litman, an attorney on the Brooklyn Supreme Court, and Michael Ryan, a Brooklyn prosecutor, are among the other four judges Adams appointed to serve New York City. The three will take the place of judges whose terms were set to expire this year but were not renewed by Adams.

In addition, the mayor of New York is replacing two family court judges whom he declined to reappoint, which a city lawyer described as “highly unusual.”

“It is quite unusual in a year to have even one judge who is not reappointed,” the source told the Post. “It is quite unusual. From time to time, a particular person may not be up to the job anymore. But 5 people in one year, you’d have to go back at least a decade or more to find something similar.”

In a statement released by City Hall, Adams said “My administration is selecting judges that we believe have the highest fidelity to the law, that will not unduly delay cases, and that will make their decisions with the safety of New Yorkers in mind. “That’s what this group represents, and that will be my North Star going forward.”

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