Zuberi Bakari Williams (born December 1, 1978) is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate judge of the District Court of Maryland, for Montgomery County.
[citation needed] His parents, both public school teachers, settled in Southern Maryland, where they lived for 38 years.
[5] During his junior year, Williams' essay won the McDonald's Black History Makers of Tomorrow contest for the Washington metropolitan area.
His piece on his desire to practice civil rights law earned him college scholarship money and stock in both McDonald's and Coca-Cola.
There, he presided over hundreds of cases including those concerning DUIs, child abuse and neglect, conditional release, involuntary admission to mental facilities, and wrongful employment termination.
[18] On December 30, 2014, Governor Martin O'Malley announced the appointment of Williams to the District Court in Montgomery County, Maryland.
[citation needed] Williams often speaks on issues related to bias in the justice system and increasing diversity in the legal profession.
[24] He believes that judges are poised to be leaders in the judicial system and that they are the ones that can tackle the tough issues and set the path for encouraging diversity and inclusion at all levels.
[26] He has also been a panelist for events like the Microsoft Criminal Justice Reform Town Hall and the National Bar Association, Women Lawyer's Division, Greater Washington Area Chapter (GWAC).
In 2016, Williams spoke at the White House regarding the role of judges in setting up returning citizens for success after incarceration.