Judge Carmen Pacheco:
A Brooklyn Story

People of NYC: Judge Carmen Pacheco — A Lifetime of Service, Rooted in Brooklyn

Some careers are measured by titles. Others are measured by the lives they touch.

For more than three decades, Judge Carmen A. Pacheco has built a career defined by legal excellence, judicial leadership, and an unwavering commitment to public service. Today, she serves as Supervising Judge of the Civil Court of the City of New York, Kings County, while also serving as an Acting Supreme Court Justice. Along the way, she has earned a reputation as a thoughtful jurist, accomplished legal scholar, respected administrator, and community leader whose work reflects a deep belief in fairness, integrity, and equal justice under the law. 

What makes Judge Pacheco's story especially compelling is that it has never been separated from Brooklyn. The borough where she was raised is the same borough where she has spent decades advocating for families, strengthening the legal profession, and helping shape one of New York's busiest court systems.

A Brooklyn Story, Through and Through

Judge Pacheco's roots run deep in Brooklyn.

She spent her early childhood in the Gowanus Houses before her family later moved to Marine Park, experiences that exposed her to the many cultures, neighborhoods, and perspectives that define the borough. Those years helped shape her understanding of the communities she would one day serve from the bench.

Her parents also provided a foundation that continues to influence her work today. Her mother, a retired New York City public school teacher, and her father, a dedicated union worker, instilled in her the values of education, humility, hard work, and service to others. Those lessons extended beyond career success and focused on something much larger.

As Judge Pacheco's biography explains, her parents taught her that "no one is better than anyone else, that success should always be accompanied by gratitude, and that a person's greatest legacy is measured not only by personal accomplishments, but by the lives they help improve." Those principles continue to guide both her professional and personal life. 

Values Forged at Home and in the Community

Judge Pacheco has long believed that public confidence in the courts depends on more than legal knowledge. It depends upon how people are treated when they enter the courtroom.

Her judicial philosophy has remained remarkably consistent throughout her career. As she explains, "Every individual who enters a courtroom, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, economic circumstance, or background, deserves to be treated with dignity, afforded a meaningful opportunity to be heard, and judged impartially based solely on the facts and the law."

She also believes that judges must carefully listen before deciding. That commitment to fairness, respect, impartiality, and the consistent application of the law has become one of the defining characteristics of her judicial service and leadership. 

Building a Legal Career That Broke New Ground

Long before taking the bench, Judge Pacheco established herself as a pioneering attorney and respected advocate.

Her legal career began at the distinguished Wall Street law firm Carter, Ledyard & Milburn LLP, where she became the firm's first Latina attorney. The experience exposed her to sophisticated commercial litigation and corporate transactions, providing a legal foundation that would later serve clients ranging from major financial institutions to neighborhood businesses and nonprofit organizations.

In 1992, she co-founded Pacheco & Lugo, PLLC, New York State's first Hispanic women-owned law firm. The firm became one of New York's pioneering minority-owned law practices, opening doors for future generations of women and Latino attorneys while demonstrating that excellence in the legal profession transcends barriers. Today, both founding partners serve on the New York bench, reflecting a shared commitment to public service and professional excellence. 

Standing Up for Brooklyn Families

Throughout more than 35 years in private practice, Judge Pacheco developed an exceptionally broad legal career that included commercial litigation, corporate law, banking, employment matters, real estate, and business counseling.

At the same time, she remained deeply committed to representing individuals and families who often lacked access to experienced legal representation. Her work included advocating for victims of deed theft, predatory lending, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, housing disputes, and helping minority-owned and women-owned businesses protect their rights and expand economic opportunity. 

Among the defining cases of her legal career was the landmark Cypress Hills Cemetery litigation, where she helped represent approximately 1,800 Brooklyn and Queens families after they discovered that the burial sites of loved ones had been covered with garbage and construction debris.

The case demanded not only legal expertise, but compassion and perseverance. Judge Pacheco stated, "the principles that have guided my entire career: standing beside ordinary families when justice demands it and pursuing accountability regardless of the size or influence of the opposing party."

That landmark case remains one of Brooklyn's most significant examples of attorneys advocating for families whose voices might otherwise have gone unheard. 

From Advocate to Judge

Judge Pacheco's commitment to fairness did not begin in a courtroom. While attending Brooklyn College, she successfully advocated for equitable funding for the Puerto Rican Studies and Spanish Departments after recognizing disparities in institutional support. The experience reinforced her belief that meaningful change often requires persistence, preparation, and a willingness to stand up for what is right.

She later earned her Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law as a St. Thomas More Scholar and became a published member of the St. John's Law Review. Throughout her career, she has continued contributing to legal scholarship through published articles, judicial opinions, and amicus briefs submitted to the United States Supreme Court. 

Leading One of New York's Busiest Courts

Judge Pacheco made history in 2023 as the first person of Peruvian descent to serve on the New York State judiciary, but history is only one part of her story. Today, she serves as Supervising Judge of Brooklyn Civil Court while also serving as an Acting Supreme Court Justice. In that role, she oversees one of the busiest civil courts in New York State, manages its daily operations, presides over hearings and trials, and has authored numerous published judicial decisions appearing in the New York Law Journal and official New York State reporters.

The responsibilities require legal expertise, administrative leadership, and the ability to ensure that justice is delivered efficiently while maintaining professionalism and respect for every person who comes before the court. Those responsibilities have become hallmarks of her leadership. 

A Commitment to Mentorship and the Legal Profession

Judge Pacheco teaches judges and court referees through the New York State Judicial Institute, has served as faculty for the New York State Law Board of Examiners, mentors aspiring attorneys through multiple bar associations, and regularly lectures on ethics, professionalism, and access to justice.

Her commitment to education extends beyond the legal community. Throughout the years, she has helped New Yorkers better understand issues involving homeownership, foreclosure prevention, deed theft, consumer rights, and other legal matters that directly affect everyday life. 

Service Beyond the Bench

Judge Pacheco has never viewed community service as something separate from her judicial responsibilities. She mentors students, welcomes school groups to the courthouse, participates in moot court programs, speaks with young people about careers in law, assists seniors within her community, and supports food and holiday initiatives benefiting families in need.

Her biography captures that philosophy simply, noting that she has "consistently viewed community engagement not as an obligation, but as a natural extension of a life dedicated to public service." That belief continues to define the relationship she maintains with the Brooklyn communities she has called home throughout her life. 

Leadership That Strengthens the Judiciary

Beyond her courtroom responsibilities, Judge Pacheco has helped shape the future of New York's legal profession through years of leadership and service. She currently serves as Chair of the New York State Continuing Legal Education Board and has held leadership roles on judicial screening panels, ethics committees, the Committee on Character and Fitness, access-to-justice initiatives, and numerous state and local bar association committees. 

Her leadership has consistently reflected a collaborative approach focused on improving the administration of justice, expanding professionalism, and creating opportunities for future generations of attorneys. Those contributions have earned numerous honors, including the Judiciary Excellence Award presented by the Puerto Rican Bar Association. 

Prepared and Ready for Her Next Chapter

Judge Carmen Pacheco's career reflects a rare combination of extensive courtroom experience, legal scholarship, administrative leadership, and lifelong community engagement. From representing nearly 1,800 Brooklyn and Queens families in one of the borough's most significant legal cases to leading one of New York's busiest courts, she has built a career distinguished by service at every level of the legal profession. Whether mentoring judges and attorneys, educating the public, or strengthening the institutions that uphold justice, Judge Pacheco has consistently approached every responsibility with preparation, professionalism, and integrity.

Perhaps the philosophy that best summarizes her career comes from Judge Pacheco herself. She believes that "justice is best served when every individual is treated equally, every voice is respectfully heard, and every decision is grounded in the law, impartiality, and integrity."

Judge Carmen Pacheco's Brooklyn story is ultimately about more than professional accomplishment. It is the story of a lifelong Brooklynite whose decades of service, leadership, and commitment to justice continue to strengthen both the borough she calls home and the judiciary that serves all New Yorkers.

Those who know her simply as "Judge Carmen" will no doubt be watching with interest as the next chapter of her remarkable career is written.