Judge Derek P. Champagne: Professional Background and Legal Expertise

Biography

The Hon. Derek P. Champagne is a judge on the Franklin County Family Court in the 4th Judicial District of New York. Champagne was elected to the Family Court bench in 2014.

The 4th Judicial District includes Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Saratoga, Schenectady, St. Lawrence, Warren, and Washington counties.

While on the Family Court, Champagne has served as an acting justice of the Franklin County Supreme Court, a position to which he was appointed in 2017.

He received a B.A. from St. Bonaventure University in 1991. Champagne then completed a J.D. at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 1995. While a law student, he worked as a customs officer with the United States Customs and Border Protection.

Champagne was admitted to practice in New York (1996).

After graduating from law school, he entered private practice as an attorney at Hughes & Stewart, P.C. During this time, he also served as a village attorney in Malone, New York.

In 1998, Champagne left the private sector to become an assistant district attorney with the Franklin County District Attorney’s Office. Two years later, he was named chief assistant district attorney, and his caseload included violent crime, narcotics, and homicide cases. Then, in 2002, he was elected district attorney for Franklin County, becoming the youngest to serve in that capacity in the State of New York. While holding this position, Champagne played a pivotal role in helping to establish the Franklin County Border/ Narcotics Task Force as well as the Franklin County Traffic Diversion Program. He continued as chief district attorney until joining the bench.

Champagne is a past president and chairman of the board of the New York State District Attorney’s Association and vice-chair of the New York State Sentencing Commission. He has also served as a board member of the New York State Prosecutors Institute and the New York State Law Enforcement Council and was on the executive committee of the Criminal Law Section of the New York State Bar. His other memberships include the New York State Justice Task Force and the Chief Judge’s Advisory Committee on Criminal Procedure and Criminal Law.

He was named the Prosecutor of the Year by the New York Prosecutors Training Institute in 2013.

Champagne was born and raised in Malone, New York.

He is registered as a Democrat.

Recent Cases by Hon. Derek P. Champagne

Dibble, Trevor Peter v. Dibble, Kelly Mae

On October 13, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Oct 13, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 14, 2026

Bobbie, Anthony M. v. St. Hilaire-Bobbie, Heather L.

On August 31, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Aug 31, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 20, 2026

Foley, Amy Elisabeth Morgan v. Foley, Craig Allen

On August 24, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Aug 24, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Sep 04, 2026

Hanafee-Areces, Liam J v. Parejo, Andrea S

On August 24, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Aug 24, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Sep 29, 2026

COX, JORDYN BEVERLY v. COX, BRADLEY ROY

On August 4, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Aug 04, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 20, 2026

Hudak, Laura v. Hudak, Gregory G

On July 21, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jul 21, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 02, 2026

Benware, Mandy Lynn v. Benware, Shawn John

On July 9, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jul 09, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Aug 06, 2026

Levy, Daniel M. v. Levy, Jessica A.

On July 5, 2026 a mat-contested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jul 05, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Contested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 01, 2026

Perry, Heather Jean v. Perry, Phillip Patrick

On June 26, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jun 26, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Jul 13, 2026

Shepard, Cristen Wilhelmina v. Shepard, Michael Dean

On June 16, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jun 16, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Jun 30, 2026

Volz, Phyllis v. Volz, Jonathan

On June 12, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jun 12, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Jun 30, 2026

Pierce, Bobby v. Pierce, Susan

On May 29, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

May 29, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Sep 29, 2026

Nason, Jordan R v. Nason, Janelle M

On May 20, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

May 20, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Sep 17, 2026

Bohl, Isabelle D. v. Bohl, Christopher N.

On May 5, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

May 05, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Sep 02, 2026

Pickering, Laurie v. Adirondack Hotel LLC et al

On April 17, 2026 a tort-other negligence case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

5 Files

Filed

Apr 17, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Tort-Other Negligence

Practice Area

Torts

Matter Type

Premises Liability

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 20, 2026

ROBERTS, MERCEDES v. ROBERTS, COTY

On April 16, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Apr 16, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Aug 10, 2026

Graves, Julia Lynn v. Walker, Matthew L

On April 2, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Apr 02, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Jun 01, 2026

DARRING, SAMUEL D. v. DARRING, ALEXANDRA J.

On March 25, 2026 a mat-contested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Mar 25, 2026

Status

Consolidation

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Contested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 09, 2026

Lewis, Mary K. v. Lewis, John M.

On March 2, 2026 a mat-contested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Mar 02, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Contested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 15, 2026

BEDEAU, BRENDA v. LINCOLN, CHARLERIE

On February 7, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Feb 07, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Jun 29, 2026

HOXHAJ, BERNADO v. HERNANDEZ, ALEXA LYNE

On February 4, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Feb 04, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

May 29, 2026

Kapenga, Aaron C. v. Kapenga, Kathy M.

On January 30, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jan 30, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Apr 23, 2026

King, Madison Ann v. King, Liberty Ann

On January 21, 2026 a mat-uncontested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jan 21, 2026

Status

Closed

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Uncontested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Mar 04, 2026

Ellers, Gerard J v. Ellers, Christine Marie

On January 7, 2026 a mat-contested case was filed in the jurisdiction of Franklin County. Judge Derek P. Champagne presiding.

Filed

Jan 07, 2026

Status

Active

Judge

Hon. Derek P. Champagne 👉 Discover key insights by exploring more analytics for Derek P. Champagne

Court

Supreme

County

Franklin County, NY

Case #

(Subscribe to View)

Court Category

Mat-Contested

Practice Area

Family

Matter Type

Divorce,Separation

Case Last Refreshed

Oct 15, 2026

About

Derek P. Champagne
Party Affiliation Democrat	Democrat
Current Appointment Franklin County Family Court	Franklin County Family Court
Election/Appointment 2014 - Franklin County Family Court	2014 - Franklin County Family Court
Previous Appointment Franklin County Supreme Court	Franklin County Supreme Court
Education J.D., University of New Hampshire School of Law - 1995 B.A., St. Bonaventure University - 1991	J.D., University of New Hampshire School of Law - 1995 B.A., St. Bonaventure University - 1991
Official Website ww2.nycourts.gov	ww2.nycourts.gov

Documents related to Derek P. Champagne

Court Info

Court Info
Current Court:	NY - Franklin County Family Court
Previous Court:	NY - Franklin County Supreme Court
Clerk phone:	+1 (518) 353-7340
Chambers:	+1 (518) 353-7380

Career History

Career History
Role	Employer	Where
Attorney	Hughes & Steward, P.C.	Franklin County, New York
City Attorney	Town of Malone	Franklin County, New York
Assistant District Attorney	Office of the Franklin County District Attorney	Franklin County, New York
Chief Assistant District Attorney	Office of the Franklin County District Attorney	Franklin County, New York
District Attorney	Office of the Franklin County District Attorney	Franklin County, New York
Judge	Franklin County Family Court	Franklin County, New York
Acting Justice	Franklin County Supreme Court	Franklin County, New York