Manpreet Monica Singh makes history!

Manpreet Monica Singh has been sworn in as a Harris county judge, becoming the first female Sikh judge in the US history. Her father, AJ immigrated to the U.S. as an architect in the early 1970s after being issued a green card following the Immigration Act of 1965. Her father faced blatant discrimination time and time again, but according to Monica, they remained focused on their ultimate goal of achieving the American dream. Singh was born and raised in Houston and now lives in Bellaire with her husband and two children.
She was sworn in as a judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4 in Texas on Friday.
Singh describes herself as a fierce advocate for her hometown. She said that as the daughter of immigrants from India, she learned the value of hard work, the American dream, and service from an early age.
Her father, AJ immigrated to the U.S. as an architect in the early 1970s after being issued a green card following the Immigration Act of 1965. As a young, turbaned Sikh and a then bachelor, he followed work wherever regardless of where it would take him. He found himself in Miami, New Jersey, Atlanta, and Dallas before finally putting down roots in Houston.
According to Monica’s biography on her page singhforjudge.com her father faced blatant discrimination time and time again, AJ and his wife of 46 years, Hardeep, remained focused on their ultimate goal of achieving the American dream. They owned and operated a successful small business (a print shop) and it flourished with the help of sweat equity from their two children. “Being a woman of color, she is all too familiar with systems of inequality and she is empathetic to the hardships that the average American faces while trying to achieve their own dreams,” the page mentions.
A trial lawyer for 20 years, she has been involved in numerous civil rights organizations at the local, state, and national levels.
“It means a lot to me because I represent H-town (a nickname of Houston) the most, so for it to be us, I’m happy for it,” she said at the oath ceremony.
Indian-American Judge Ravi Sandill, the state’s first South Asian judge, presided over the ceremony, which took place in a packed courtroom.
“It’s a really big moment for the Sikh community,” Sandill said.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said: “It was a proud day for the Sikh Community, but also a proud day for all people of Colour who see the Diversity of the City of Houston in the Diversity of the Court”.