New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division
| New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 27[1] | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $215,546[2] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Gubernatorial appointment with Senate confirmation | ||
| Term: | Initial term of 7 years; until age 70 upon reappointment | ||
The New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division is the intermediate appellate court in New Jersey. Its rulings may be appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
The court consists of 32 judges who sit in two- and three-judge panels chosen from parts consisting of four judges. Appellate division judges hear appeals from decisions of the trial courts, the tax court and state administrative agencies. The appellate division decides approximately 6,500 appeals and 10,000 motions each year.[3]
Judges of the superior court have an initial term of seven years, after which they may remain on the bench until age 70, provided they are not impeached.[4]
- Published opinions of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, can be found here.
Judges
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
January 16, 2018 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2012 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2018 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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August 1, 2016 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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July 4, 2023 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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March 1, 2006 - Present |
Deborah Poritz |
|
|
November 24, 2014 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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September 1, 2020 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2017 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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January 2, 2024 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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September 1, 2023 - Present |
Phil Murphy |
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August 1, 2019 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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2014 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2024 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2015 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2017 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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September 1, 2020 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
|
November 14, 2022 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
|
August 1, 2012 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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August 1, 2018 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2018 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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December 28, 2015 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2023 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
|
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January 2, 2018 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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August 1, 2015 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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|
September 1, 2020 - Present |
Stuart Rabner |
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|
April 26, 2018 - Present |
Chris Christie |
Former judges
- Francine Axelrad
- Linda Baxter
- Harry G. Carroll
- Amy Chambers
- Rudy Coleman
- Marianne Espinosa
- Douglas M. Fasciale
- Clarkson Fisher
- Jane Grall
- Margaret M. Hayden
- Richard S. Hoffman
- John C. Kennedy
- Ellen Koblitz
- George S. Leone
- Laura LeWinn
- Thomas V. Manahan
- Susan F. Maven
- Carmen Messano
- Christine Miniman
- Scott J. Moynihan
- William E. Nugent
- Mitchel E. Ostrer
- Garry S. Rothstadt
- Stephen Skillman
- Karen L. Suter
- Dorothea Wefing
- Joseph Yannotti
- Carmen Alvarez
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in New Jersey
The judges of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division are superior court judges assigned to the appellate division by the chief justice of the supreme court.[5] According to the New Jersey Constitution, appellate division assignments "shall be for terms fixed by rules of the Supreme Court."[6] Superior court judges are selected by gubernatorial appointment with Senate confirmation.[7][8]
Qualifications
To be eligible to serve on the superior court, a person must have been admitted to practice law in New Jersey for at least 10 years.[8] Judges also have a mandatory retirement age of 70.
Presiding judge
The presiding judge for administration and the presiding judges for each part of the appellate division are assigned by the chief justice of the supreme court.[9]
Salary
In 2024, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $215,546, according to the National Center for State Courts.[10]
Ethics
The New Jersey Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in New Jersey. It is composed of seven canons:
- Canon 1: "A Judge Should Uphold the Integrity and Independence of the Judiciary"
- Canon 2: "A Judge Should Avoid Impropriety and the Appearance of Impropriety in All Activities"
- Canon 3: "A Judge Should Perform the Duties of Judicial Office Impartially and Diligently"
- Canon 4: "A Judge May Engage in Activities to Improve the Law, the Legal System, and the Administration of Justice"
- Canon 5: "A Judge Shall so Conduct the Judge's Extra-Judicial Activities as to Minimize the Risk of Conflict With Judicial Obligations"
- Canon 6: "A Judge Shall Not Receive Compensation for Quasi-Judicial and Extra-Judicial Activities"
- Canon 7: "A Judge Shall Refrain From Political Activity"[11]
The full text of the New Jersey Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in New Jersey may be removed in one of three ways:
- Impeachment by a majority of the general assembly, followed by the affirmation of two thirds of the senate
- By the governor, who must get the approval of the supreme court and a three-person commission
- By the supreme court, who must get the approval of the advisory committee on judicial conduct[12]
Noteworthy cases
| • Lawyer faces $150,000 judgment because client skipped bond (2015) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
| Matthew Jeon took on Zerui Huang's case. Huang, a Chinese national studying in the United States, was arrested and charged with sexual assault. He was given bond, but he had to surrender his passport in order to be released. Huang did so. The court held the passport until it agreed to return it to Huang temporarily so he could renew his driver's license. While Huang had the passport, he allegedly made a copy and then returned the original to the court. Huang used the copy, which China accepts, to return to his native land. When he did not make his next court appearance or the subsequent ones, the bail bond company, Callahan Bail Bond, sued Jeon for the money it lost when Huang skipped town. Callahan claims that Jeon knew what Huang had planned. Jeon failed to respond to Callahan's complaint in time, and Judge Susan J. Steele of the Vicinage 2 Superior Court entered a default judgment against Jeon in the amount of $150,000, what Callahan lost.
Jeon eventually tried to respond and filed multiple motions to vacate the judgment, but Judge Steele denied the motion each time. Judges Amy O'Connor and Marie Simonelli, however, ruled that Judge Steele was in error when she refused to grant Jeon's motion to vacate. According to the judges, motions to vacate are to be considered liberally and granted if there is a meritorious defense to the accusations. Here, the judges said that Jeon presented a good defense in his answer, which he was never allowed to file, and he did not behave in an insolent manner in failing to respond. In short, it was a mistake. The judges vacated the judgment and remanded the case back to the superior court for further proceedings on the merits of the case. Articles: | |
| • Appeals court denies appeal from inmate convicted of kidnapping and murder (2015) | Click for summary→ |
|---|---|
| In 1994, Sandra McKnight was unloading groceries from her car when three men approached, forced her into the car and drove off. The men later stole another car, deciding to get rid of McKnight's car. They drove to an isolated place and shot her in the back of the head once, killing her. She was found later still in the car. Alonzo Hill was arrested after one of the other men with him that night told police he was involved in McKnight's murder. Hill was arrested, charged, tried, and convicted of carjacking, kidnapping and murder; he received four consecutive life sentences. Hill appealed his conviction, claiming he received ineffective assistance of counsel at trial and during his appeal of right.
Two judges of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, William E. Nugent and Allison E. Accurso, weighed in on March 31, 2015, finding that Hill has no right to relief. The court found that Hill had not shown any proof of errors by the trial court or his attorney. In essence, the court found Hill received a fair trial. Further, Hill claimed that his attorney failed to conduct a proper investigation or call certain witnesses at trial. The appellate court did not agree, finding that there was no proof that his trial counsel failed to investigate as required by law, or that the presentation of more or different witnesses would have made a difference in the outcome. Articles: | |
State profile
| Demographic data for New Jersey | ||
|---|---|---|
| New Jersey | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 8,935,421 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,354 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 68.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 13.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 9% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.5% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 19% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.6% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.8% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $72,093 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 12.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Jersey. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in New Jersey
New Jersey voted for the Democratic candidate in all six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, two are located in New Jersey, accounting for 0.97 percent of the total pivot counties.[13]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Jersey had one Retained Pivot County and one Boomerang Pivot County, accounting for 0.55 and 4.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.
More New Jersey coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in New Jersey
- United States congressional delegations from New Jersey
- Public policy in New Jersey
- Endorsers in New Jersey
- New Jersey fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division, "APPELLATE DIVISION 2021-2022 COURT TERM," accessed July 1, 2022
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ New Jersey Superior Court, "Appellate Division," accessed July 15, 2023
- ↑ New Jersey Constitution, "Article VI, Section VI"
- ↑ InsiderNJ, "New Jersey Judiciary Releases General Assignment Order for Court Year 2021-2022," accessed August 27, 2021
- ↑ New Jersey Legislature, "New Jersey State Constitution 1947," accessed August 27, 2021 (Article VI Section VII)
- ↑ New Jersey Courts, "The New Jersey Courts | A guide to the judicial process," accessed August 27, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 New Jersey Legislature, "New Jersey State Constitution 1947," accessed August 27, 2021 (Article VI Section II)
- ↑ InsiderNJ, "New Jersey Judiciary Releases General Assignment Order for Court Year 2021-2022," accessed August 27, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2024 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ New Jersey Courts, Code of Judicial Conduct, accessed June 30, 2015
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: New Jersey, Removal of Judges," accessed June 30, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Jersey • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Jersey
State courts:
New Jersey Supreme Court • New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division • New Jersey Superior Courts • New Jersey Municipal Courts • New Jersey Tax Court
State resources:
Courts in New Jersey • New Jersey judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Jersey
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