Hon. Matthew J. D’Emic

Presiding Judge, Brooklyn Mental Health Court

Matthew J. D’Emic is a graduate of Fordham University and Brooklyn Law School. He was appointed to the bench in 1996 and currently serves as administrative judge for criminal matters in Kings County Supreme Court and presiding judge of the Brooklyn Mental Health Court.

Judge D’Emic is co-chair of the New York State Judicial Task Force on Mental Illness and has served on mental health initiatives for Mayors Bloomberg, DeBlasio, and Adams. He is a member of the Independent Commission on New York City Justice and Incarceration Reform (Lippman Commission) and the National Task Force to Examine State Courts’ Response to Mental Illness. He is also past chair of the Supreme Court Gender Fairness Committee and a member of the New York State Judicial Committee on Women in the Courts, from which he received the 2023 Leadership Award.

Judge D’Emic has been recognized for his work by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and American Bar Association among others. In 2023, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of State Governments, the Outstanding Jurist award from the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the NYS Bar Association award for Outstanding Contribution to Criminal Justice.

Judge D’Emic is a board member emeritus of the Guild for Exceptional Children and Xaverian High School and has served on the board of Mercy Home. He is an adjunct professor at Brooklyn Law School and lectures frequently on criminal justice.