DBT40 Honoree: Nicholas Brock

Title: Magistrate, Justice of the Peace

Nicholas Brock | DBT PHOTO BY LUIGI CIUFFETELLI

Workplace: State of Delaware Judiciary

Age: 32

Nicholas Brock has always embraced an “underdog” mentality that’s drawn him to helping others in need. Now as a magistrate with Delaware’s Justice of the Peace — the youngest African American to be appointed to such a position in the state’s history — that’s exactly what he does while presiding over civil and criminal cases.

Brock is a graduate of Drexel University’s Kline School of Law and previously served as the chief legislative policy advisor with WIlmington City Council and legislative aide to former Delaware State Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry. During his time with the legislature, Brock helped develop legislative initiatives that provided free feminine hygiene products for women inmates, free identification for people post-incarceration and more. As a magistrate, he now oversees arraignments of low-level criminal offenses, the issuance of warrants and setting bail amounts as necessary. He is a recipient of the Louis L. Redding Scholarship from the Delaware Barristers Association and served as co-chair to Drexel’s Student Discipline Advocacy Service, representing high school students at academic disciplinary hearings.

Brock earned a master’s degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware Biden School of Public Policy and an undergraduate degree in political science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the New Castle County Justice of the Peace, Brock served as a certified legal intern at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Outside of the courtroom, Brock has been involved in community outreach events, such as those related to the voting process and providing college readiness and career awareness to Black teens in Wilmington as a YMCA Black Achiever. In his free time, the father of two enjoys traveling with his family and experiencing new places and cultures.