The Hon. Avion M. Benjamin is a judge for the Essex County Superior Court (Vicinage 5) in New Jersey. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Phil Murphy on November 6, 2020.
Prior to her appointment, Benjamin worked for the City of Newark Law Department. She started as an assistant corporation counsel in 2004, rising through the ranks to become Assistant Section Chief of Civil Litigation (2007) and Section Chief of Civil Litigation (2009). During this time, she was responsible for overseeing the defense of personal injury lawsuits filed against the City of Newark and its employees. Then, in 2015, she was named First Assistant Corporation Counsel, where she was tasked with managing the Civil Litigation Section and the Municipal Prosecutor’s Office.
Benjamin earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government from Binghamton University. She then completed a J.D. at The George Washington University Law School.
After graduating from law school, Benjamin entered into private practice, working as an associate at Lomurro, Davison, Eastman & Munoz. She spent the next two years handling complex commercial litigation and general civil litigation.
Born and raised in Trinidad, Benjamin is the daughter of Hess Benjamin, a cancer specialist on the island. She returns to Trinidad for Carnival every year, spending most of her time in Mount Lambert or Port-of-Spain. When Benjamin’s family first came to the United States, they settled in Florida before relocating to New York.
She identifies as a Catholic.