Anne de Xainctonge Award

The Honorable Dakota D. Ramseur ‘88

The Honorable Dakota Ramseur was inducted as a Justice of the Supreme Court of New York State in January 2023. Dakota was born in Brooklyn, and raised in public housing in Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen. Her father, who earned his JD while she was in grammar school, taught her the love of law and the importance of giving back. While at Notre Dame, Dakota volunteered with AIDS patients at St. Clare’s Hospital and participated in the Archbishop Leadership program. She served as Senior Class President and has been an active and supportive alumna since graduation, volunteering for Career Day and mentoring students interested in pursuing legal studies.

Dakota attended Howard University and New York Law School, where she served on Moot Court, as President of the Black Law Students Association, as a Student Representative of the Student Bar Association, and where she also hosted high school students for “Law School for a Day.” After earning her Juris Doctor, Dakota worked for the New York City Bar Association before moving to the District Attorney’s Office of Kings County. As an Assistant DA, Dakota advocated for alternatives to incarceration, including drug treatment. As an Associate at Armienti, DeBellis and Whiten, LLP, she litigated a variety of cases before the New York City Civil and Supreme Courts.

Dakota was elected to the New York City Civil Court in 2013. After working toward equal justice and treatment under the law at the Bronx Criminal Court, Dakota shifted to the Bronx County Family Court, which Dakota describes as the most challenging and rewarding work she has done, noting, “I never stop thinking about the children I adjudicated.”

A lifetime member and former Co-Chair of the Civic Engagement Committee of the NAACP Mid-Manhattan Branch, Dakota has also served as President of the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. She is on the Executive Board of the Civil Court Judges Association and is a member of the New York Women’s Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and Judicial Friends. She is an active and proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the recipient of the New York Women’s Galaxy Award and the Kathleen Grimm Medal for outstanding commitment to public service.

As this year’s Notre Dame Anne de Xainctonge Awardee, Dakota notes that “Notre Dame was an ideal partner to my father in building my self esteem, my desire to learn and grow, and in fostering a sense of self within a greater community.”

We are honored to present the Chez Nous Angel Award to Martin Cottingham P’23