Gov

Supreme Court Justice - District 2

Hemalee J. Patel

Democratic

Civil Court judge since Jan. 2025, presiding over criminal cases in Kings County Criminal Court as of Feb. 2026.

Nominated at the Brooklyn Democratic Party's judicial convention on Aug. 6; also on the Republican line.

Civil Court judge since Jan. 2025, sitting in Kings County Criminal Court · Admitted to the New York bar in 1992

Selected cases & rulings

Criminal procedure (Crawford hearing)

Declined to hold a hearing on a defendant's claimed interest in an apartment

People v Diaz (2025 NY Slip Op 51760(U)) · Nov. 10, 2025

Decided the motion as a judge sitting in the Criminal Court of the City of New York, Kings County.

Declined to hold the hearing, finding that the defendant had no substantial property interest in the apartment, so there was nothing for a hearing to examine.

What this tells you

Sets out what property interest a defendant must show before this kind of hearing is held.

New York State Law Reporting Bureau — 2025 NY Slip Op 51760(U) ↗
Case context & history

The question: Whether to hold a Crawford hearing (a hearing on a defendant's property interest in a home) for a defendant who lived, without a lease or similar agreement, in an apartment belonging to the complaining witness's parents.

Outcome / stage: The defendant's motion was denied.

The hearing had been scheduled by the judge who presided over the defendant's arraignment; the parties appeared for it on Oct. 29, 2025.

Subsequent history: No appellate decision reviewing this ruling was found as of Sept. 29, 2026.

The dates of her private matrimonial and family-law practice were not found. The case listed is the only published decision signed by her that was found as of Sept. 29, 2026; many trial-court rulings are never published. No rating issued for this 2026 Supreme Court race was found as of Sept. 29, 2026.

Professional experience

Bar admission & conduct

Bar admission

Admitted 1992 · Brooklyn Law School

NYS Attorney Registrations (data.ny.gov) ↗
Judicial conduct

No public determination naming Hemalee J. Patel in the State Commission on Judicial Conduct's determination database (checked Sept. 29, 2026).

NYS Commission on Judicial Conduct — public determination list ↗

Qualifications & evaluations

Found qualified

Kings County (Brooklyn) Democratic Party Judicial Screening Committee · 2017

The Kings County Democratic Party's own judicial screening committee found her qualified for judicial candidacy in 2017, for her Civil Court race in Brooklyn's 6th Municipal District, not for this race.

The American Bazaar, July 27, 2017 ↗

Others running for Supreme Court Justice - District 2

Hemalee J. Patel for Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice (2nd Judicial District) (2026) | By The People