He also served as a judge of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court from 2012 to 2019.
Dearie subsequently worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where he served in the Appeals Division from 1971 to 1974, as the Chief of the General Crimes Section from 1974 to 1976, Head Chief of the Office's Criminal Division from 1976-1977, and briefly as the Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the District in 1977.
[5] He worked in private practice until 1980 before serving as the Chief Assistant United States Attorney until 1982, when he was appointed the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York by President Ronald Reagan, serving from 1982 to 1986, before being appointed to the federal bench, by the recommendation of New York Senator Al D'Amato.
[10][11][12] In September 2022, Dearie was one of two candidates proposed by former President Donald Trump as a special master to review documents seized in the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.
[15] On September 23, Dearie ordered Trump's legal defense to submit a sworn declaration supporting their claims that the FBI had planted evidence at Mar-a-Lago.