Justice Vito M. DeStefano is a New York State Supreme Court Justice, having been elected to that position in 2007. Prior to serving in the Supreme Court, Judge DeStefano was a Nassau County District Court Judge for four years.

In his judicial capacity, Judge DeStefano has handled thousands of civil and criminal matters from commencement through verdict or decision. He is the author of many published decisions covering a wide array of legal issues. In 2004, Judge DeStefano was profiled in the New York Law Journal for his successful efforts in settling 1,400 no-fault insurance cases pending in District Court.

Judge DeStefano presently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics and is an adjunct professor at Molloy College, Hofstra University and Long Island University C.W. Post School of Accountancy. Judge DeStefano is also a frequent continuing legal education lecturer.

From 1999 through 2003, Judge DeStefano was an associate at a major mid-town law firm. A substantial part of his practice involved appellate work and insurance litigation of all types. Before entering private practice, Judge DeStefano served as an Appellate Court Attorney at the Appellate Division Second Judicial Department.

Judge DeStefano received his juris doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School and his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies (magna cum laude) from Wagner College. He graduated from Stuyvesant High School and was born in Brooklyn, New York. He and his wife Kim have been married since 1991 and have four children.