Noach Dear ’92, Long-Serving Brooklyn Councilmember and Judge, Dies at 66

Supreme Court Justice Noach Dear ’92 died April 19, the second active judge in Brooklyn to die due to complications from COVID-19. He was 66.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Dear attended Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and Brooklyn College, and later attended Brooklyn Law School. He was elected to the City Council in 1983, where he represented the neighborhoods of Midwood, Borough Park, and parts of Bensonhurst. Considered a strong leader in the Orthodox Jewish community, he was a firm advocate for the interests of his constituents.

In 2001, he was appointed as the Commissioner of the Taxi and Limousine Commission. After unsuccessful campaigns for State Senate and the U.S. Congress, Dear was elected as a Kings County Civil Court judge in 2008. In 2010, he was promoted to acting Supreme Court justice, and elected in 2015 to the Kings County Supreme Court.

Often described as a “champion of the underdog,” Dear made many reforms during his tenure in the courts meant to protect the underprivileged. Dear observed that in the vast majority of credit card collection cases, credit card companies couldn’t provide proof that the debt was actually owed, and at the behest of former Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, he wrote a manual for judges on credit card debt. He also declared in 2012 that a law against drinking alcohol in public discriminated against racial minorities, and required that police provide lab reports before issuing a summons. And, after hearing numerous foreclosure cases, he established a program called “Friend of the Court” which helped pro se litigants get representation.

“Judge Dear had a certain energetic colorful persona that epitomized the great diversity not only with respect to the Kings County judiciary but also as a member of our Bar Association and Brooklyn Community at large,” said Brooklyn Bar Association President Frank Carone ’94. “He will be sorely missed.”

Dear is survived by his wife, Rickly (Neiman) Dear, and his daughters, Rivka, Adina, Chaviva, and Aliza.