BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — After 25 years and six months in the Unified Court System, Marilyn Sanders can finally exhale. 

Sanders told the Brooklyn Eagle that while she thoroughly enjoyed her tenure as a court clerk, “it’s a great feeling to be retired.” 

Sanders and more than 50 of her friends and former co-workers recently celebrated her retirement at the Park Plaza Diner at 220 Cadman Plaza West on June 18, eating, drinking and dancing the night away. 

Two members of the judiciary were also in attendance at the event: Hon. Robin Sheares and Hon. Inga O’Neale.

“I came in and really felt the love,” Sanders said. “I was very grateful and extremely happy.” 

‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step’  

Sanders’ journey began a quarter of a century ago when she received a flyer in the mail for a court clerk.

“I had administrative experience and a lot of the things they were looking for,” she recalled, “so I just went to the interview and ultimately got picked.” 

In addition to administrative and clerical support within the court system, her role included managing court records, filing documents and assisting judges with various tasks, such as preparing court calendars of cases, swearing in witnesses, and retrieving case files.

Sanders, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, last worked for Kings County Supreme Court, but before that, alternated between Civil and Criminal courts, she explained.  

Sanders pointed out that perhaps her favorite thing about being a court clerk was the people she was surrounded by every day.

“There really are some nice people here, and I learned quite a bit from everyone I interacted with and the relationships I’ve had through the years,” she said. “This is such a great line of work to be in, and I’d recommend it to anybody. The bottom line is, if you put your time in and work hard, you can move up in the system and do really well for yourself.”