List of justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey

Current justices[]

Name	Sworn in	Term expiration	Mandatory retirement	Appointing governor	Party membership	Law school
Stuart Rabner, Chief Justice	June 29, 2007	None – Tenured	June 30, 2030	Jon Corzine (D)	Democratic^[1]	Harvard
Jaynee LaVecchia	February 1, 2000	None – Tenured	October 9, 2024	Christine Todd Whitman (R)	Independent^[2]	Rutgers
Barry T. Albin	September 18, 2002	None – Tenured	July 7, 2022	Jim McGreevey (D)	Democratic^[3]	Cornell
Anne M. Patterson	September 1, 2011	None – Tenured	April 15, 2029	Chris Christie (R)	Republican^[4]	Cornell
Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina	November 19, 2013	None – Tenured^[1]	February 15, 2022	Chris Christie (R)	Republican^[5]	Rutgers
Lee Solomon	June 19, 2014	June 19, 2021	August 17, 2024	Chris Christie (R)	Republican^[6]	Widener
Fabiana Pierre-Louis	September 1, 2020	September 1, 2027	September 9, 2050^[2]	Phil Murphy (D)	Democratic^[3]	Rutgers

List of justices before 1947[]

Before 1947 and particularly after 1844, the structure of the New Jersey state judiciary was incredibly complex. In some cases, it is not entirely clear whether the following justices served on the Supreme Court of New Jersey (1776–), the New Jersey Court of Common Pleas (1704–1947), or the New Jersey Court of Errors and Appeals (1844–1947).

1776 Constitution[]

	Position	Succeeded	Tenure
Richard Stockton (1730–1781)			1774 – 1776 (Elected to Continental Congress)
John De Hart (1730–1781)			September 4, 1776 – February 1777 (Replaced for failure to attend)
Isaac Smith (1740–1807)			1777 – 1804
Robert Morris (1742–1814)	Chief Justice		February 5, 1777 – May 25, 1779 (Resigned)
John Cleves Symmes (1742–1814)			1777 – 1778
David Brearley^[4] (1745–1790)	Chief Justice	R. Morris	1779 – September 26, 1789 (Elevated to U.S. District Court)
James Kinsey^[5] (1731–1802)	Chief Justice	D. Brearley	1789 – January 4, 1802 (Died)
Andrew Kirkpatrick (1756–1831)	Associate Justice		1798 – 1808 (Continued as Chief Justice)
Andrew Kirkpatrick (1756–1831)	Chief Justice	J. Kinsey	1808 – 1825
William Rossell (1760–1840)	Associate Justice		1804 – 1826 (Elevated to U.S. District Court)
William Sanford Pennington (1757–1826)	Associate Justice		1805 – 1813 (Elected Governor of New Jersey)
Mahlon Dickerson (1770–1853)	Associate Justice		1813 – 1815 (Elected Governor of New Jersey)
Samuel L. Southard (1787–1842)			1815 – 1820 (Elected to U.S. Senate)
Charles Ewing^[6] (1780–1832)	Chief Justice	A. Kirkpatrick	1825 – August 5, 1832 (Died)
Joseph Coerten Hornblower (1777–1864)	Chief Justice	C. Ewing	1838 – 1844 (Continued as Chief Justice)
William L. Dayton (1807–1864)	Associate Justice		1838 – 1842 (Appointed to U.S. Senate)

1844 Constitution[]

	Position	Succeeded	Tenure	Appointed by
Joseph Coerten Hornblower (1777–1864)	Chief Justice		1844 – 1846 (Resigned)
Joseph Fitz Randolph (1803–1873)	Associate Justice		1845 – 1852 (Resigned)
Elias B. D. Ogden (1800–1865)	Associate Justice		1848 – February 24, 1865 (Died)
Garret D. Wall (1783–1850)	Associate Justice		1848 – November 22, 1850 (Died)
Daniel Haines (1801–1877)	Associate Justice		1852 – 1866
Lucius Elmer (1793–1883)	Associate Justice		1852 – 1859
Peter Vrendenburgh (1805–1873)	Associate Justice		1854 – 1868
Edward W. Whelpley (1818–1864)	Associate Justice		1858 – 1861 (Continued as Chief Justice)
John Van Dyke (1807–1878)	Associate Justice		1859 – 1866
Edward W. Whelpley (1818–1864)	Chief Justice		1861 – 1864
George Houston Brown (1810–1865)	Associate Justice		1861 – August 1, 1865 (Died)
Lucius Elmer (1793–1883)	Associate Justice		1861 – 1869
Mercer Beasley (1815–1897)	Chief Justice		March 8, 1864 – February 19, 1897 (Died)
Joseph D. Bedle (1831–1894)	Associate Justice		1865 – January 19, 1875 (Elected Governor of New Jersey)
Edward W. Scudder (1822–1893)	Associate Justice		1869 – February 3, 1893 (Died)	Theodore Fitz Randolph
Bennett Van Syckel (1830–1921)	Associate Justice		1869 – 1904
Jonathan Dixon (1839–1906)	Associate Justice		1875 – May 21, 1906 (Died)	Joseph D. Bedle
Alfred Reed	Associate Justice		1875 – 1895
Joel Parker (1816–1888)	Associate Justice		1880 – January 2, 1888 (Died)
William J. Magie (1832–1917)	Associate Justice		1880 – 1897 (Continued as Chief Justice)
Charles G. Garrison (1849–1924)	Associate Justice	J. Parker	1888 – 1893 (Resigned)
David A. Depue (1826–1902)	Associate Justice		1889 – 1900 (Continued as Chief Justice)
Manning M. Knapp (1825–1892)	Associate Justice		1889 – January 26, 1892 (Died)
George Theodore Werts (1846–1910)	Associate Justice	M. Knapp	1892 – January 17, 1893 (Elected Governor of New Jersey)	Leon Abbett
Job H. Lippincott (1842–1900)	Associate Justice	G. T. Werts	1893 – 1900 (Died)	George Theodore Werts
Joseph H. Gaskill (1851–1935)	Associate Justice		1893 – 1896
Leon Abbett (1836–1894)	Associate Justice		1893 – December 4, 1894 (Died)
William Stryker Gummere (1852–1933)	Associate Justice		1895 – November 19, 1901 (Continued as Chief Justice)
George C. Ludlow (1830–1900)	Associate Justice		1895 – December 18, 1900 (Died)
Charles G. Garrison (1849–1924)	Associate Justice		1895 – 1920 (Resigned)
William H. Vredenburgh	Associate Justice		1897 – 1916	John W. Griggs
Gilbert Collins (1846–1920)	Associate Justice		March 2, 1897 – 1903 (Resigned)
William J. Magie (1832–1917)	Chief Justice	M. Beasley	1897 – 1900 (Elevated to Chancellor of the Court of Errors and Appeals)
David A. Depue (c. 1827–1902)	Chief Justice	W. J. Magie	1900 – 1901 (Resigned)	Foster M. Voorhees
John Franklin Fort (1852–1920)	Associate Justice		1900 – 1907 (Elected Governor of New Jersey)	Foster M. Voorhees
William Stryker Gummere (1852–1933)	Chief Justice	D. Depue	November 19, 1901 – 1933 (Died)
Mahlon Pitney (1858–1924)	Associate Justice		November 19, 1901 – 1908
Thomas Whitaker Trenchard (1863–1942)	Associate Justice		January 15, 1907 – 1941 (Resigned)
Charles Wolcott Parker (1862–1948)	Associate Justice		1907 – 1942
James J. Bergen (1847–1923)	Associate Justice		1907 – 1915
Charles C. Black (1858–1947)	Associate Justice		1914 – 1939	James Fairman Fielder
Frank S. Katzenbach (1868–1929)	Associate Justice		1920 – March 13, 1929 (Died)	Edward I. Edwards
Joseph Lamb Bodine (1883–1950)	Associate Justice		1929 – 1948
Clarence E. Case (1877–1961)	Associate Justice		1929 – 1946 (Continued as Chief Justice)
Ralph W. E. Donges (1875–1974)	Associate Justice		1930 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
Thomas J. Brogan (1889–1965)	Associate Justice		1932 – 1933 (Continued as Chief Justice)
Joseph B. Perskie (1885–1957)	Associate Justice		1933 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
Harry Heher (1889–1972)	Associate Justice		1933 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
Thomas J. Brogan (1889–1965)	Chief Justice	W. S. Gummere	1933 – 1946 (Resigned)
Newton Hazelton Porter (1815–1897)	Associate Justice		1938 – 1945
Frederic R. Colie (1895–1974)	Associate Justice		1941 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
A. Dayton Oliphant (1887–1963)	Associate Justice	N. H. Porter	1945 – 1946	Walter Evans Edge
Clarence E. Case (1877–1961)	Chief Justice	T. Brogan	1946 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
William A. Wachenfeld (1889–1969)	Associate Justice		1946 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
Howard Eastwood (1884–1976)	Associate Justice		1946 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)
Albert E. Burling (1891–1960)	Associate Justice		1947 – 1948 (Constitution of 1947)

Supreme Court justices under 1947 Constitution[]

List of justices[]

Justice		Position	Succeeded	Tenure	Appointed by
1	Arthur T. Vanderbilt (1888–1957)	Chief Justice	Inaugural	1948 – June 16, 1957 (Died)	Alfred E. Driscoll
2	Albert E. Burling (1891–1960)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – October 29, 1960 (Died)
3	Harry Heher (1889–1972)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – March 20, 1959 (Mandatory retirement)
4	William A. Wachenfeld (1889–1969)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – February 24, 1959 (Mandatory retirement)
5	A. Dayton Oliphant (1887–1963)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – October 28, 1957 (Mandatory retirement)
6	Clarence E. Case (1877–1961)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – 1952 (Resigned)
7	Henry E. Ackerson Jr. (1880–1970)	Associate Justice	Inaugural	1948 – 1952 (Resigned)
8	Nathan L. Jacobs (1905–1989)	Associate Justice	C. Case	1952 – 1975 (Mandatory retirement)
9	William J. Brennan Jr. (1906–1997)	Associate Justice	H. E. Ackerson	1951 – 1956 (Elevated to U.S. Supreme Court)
10	Joseph Weintraub (1908–1977)	Associate Justice	W. J. Brennan	1956 – 1957 (Continued as Chief Justice)	Robert Meyner
10	Joseph Weintraub (1908–1977)	Chief Justice	A. Vanderbilt	1957 – 1973
11	Haydn Proctor (1903–1996)	Associate Justice	A. Oliphant	October 28, 1957 – 1973 (Mandatory retirement)
12	John J. Francis (1903–1984)	Associate Justice	J. Weintraub	1957 – 1973 (Mandatory retirement)
13	Frederick Wilson Hall (1908–1984)	Associate Justice	W. Wachenfeld	1959 – February 1975^[7] (Resigned)
14	C. Thomas Schettino (1907–1983)	Associate Justice	H. Heher	October 1959 – 1972
15	Vincent S. Haneman (1902–1978)	Associate Justice	A. Burling	1960 – 1971
16	Worrall Frederick Mountain (1909–1992)	Associate Justice	V. Haneman	1971 – 1979	William Cahill
	Pierre P. Garven (1925–1973)	Associate Justice	C. T. Schettino^[8]	April 1973 – September 1973 (Continued as Chief Justice)
17	Mark Sullivan (1912–1999)	Associate Justice	J. Francis^[8]	March 23, 1973 – August 11, 1981 (Mandatory retirement)
18	Robert L. Clifford (1924–2014)	Associate Justice	P. Garven^[3]	1973 – 1994 (Mandatory retirement)
19	Morris Pashman (1912–1999)	Associate Justice	H. Proctor^[3]	April 1973 – 1982 (Mandatory retirement)
20	Pierre P. Garven (1925–1973)	Chief Justice	J. Weintraub^[3]	September 1, 1973 – October 19, 1973 (Died)
21	Richard J. Hughes (1909–1992)	Chief Justice	P. Garven	December 18, 1973 – August 10, 1979 (Mandatory retirement)
22	Sidney Schreiber (1915–2009)	Associate Justice	N. Jacobs	1975 – 1984 (Resigned)	Brendan Byrne
23	Alan B. Handler (1931–)	Associate Justice	F. W. Hall^[7]	1977 – 1999 (Resigned)
24	Stewart G. Pollock (1932–)	Associate Justice	W. F. Mountain	June 28, 1979 – 1999 (Resigned)
25	Robert Wilentz (1927–1996)	Chief Justice	R. Hughes	1979 – July 23, 1996 (Died)
26	Daniel Joseph O'Hern (1930–2009)	Associate Justice	M. Sullivan	August 6, 1981 – 2000 (Mandatory retirement)
23	Marie L. Garibaldi (1934–2016)	Associate Justice	M. Pashman	November 17, 1982 – 2000 (Resigned)	Thomas Kean
24	Gary S. Stein (1933–)	Associate Justice	S. Schreiber	January 11, 1985 – 2002 (Resigned)	Thomas Kean
25	James H. Coleman (1933–)	Associate Justice	R. Clifford	1994 – 2003	Christine Todd Whitman
26	Deborah Poritz (1936–)	Chief Justice	R. Wilentz	July 10, 1996 – October 25, 2006 (Mandatory retirement)
27	Peter Verniero (1959–)	Associate Justice	S. Pollock	1999 – 2004 (Resigned)
28	Virginia Long (1942–)	Associate Justice	A. Handler	September 1, 1999 – March 1, 2012 (Mandatory retirement)
29	James R. Zazzali (1937–)	Associate Justice	D. J. O'Hern	May 25, 2000 – October 26, 2006 (Continued as Chief Justice)
30	Jaynee LaVecchia (1954–)	Associate Justice	M. Garibaldi	February 1, 2000 – Incumbent
31	Barry T. Albin (1952–)	Associate Justice	G. Stein	September 18, 2002 – Incumbent	James McGreevey
32	John E. Wallace Jr. (1953–)	Associate Justice	J. Coleman	May 20, 2003 – May 20, 2010 (Not re-nominated)
33	Robert A. Rivera-Soto (1953–)	Associate Justice	P. Verniero	September 1, 2004 – August 31, 2011 (Not re-nominated)
29	James R. Zazzali (1937–)	Chief Justice	D. Poritz	October 26, 2006 – June 17, 2007 (Mandatory retirement)	Jon Corzine
34	Helen Hoens (1937–)	Associate Justice	J. Zazzalli	October 26, 2006 – October 26, 2013 (Not re-nominated)
35	Stuart Rabner (1960–)	Chief Justice	J. Zazzali	June 29, 2007 – Incumbent
36	Anne Patterson (1959–)	Associate Justice	R. Rivera-Soto	September 1, 2011 – Incumbent	Chris Christie
37	Faustino J. Fernandez-Vina (1952–)	Associate Justice	H. Hoens	November 19, 2013 – Incumbent
38	Lee Solomon (1954–)	Associate Justice	V. Long	June 19, 2014 – Incumbent
39	Walter F. Timpone (1950–)	Associate Justice	J. Wallace (2011)	May 2, 2016 – August 31, 2020
40	Fabiana Pierre-Louis (1980–)	Associate Justice	W. Timpone	September 1, 2020 – Incumbent	Phil Murphy

Acting justices[]

On May 3, 2010, Governor Chris Christie declined to re-nominate John E. Wallace Jr., whose seven-year term expired on May 20, 2010. He was the first Justice of the Supreme Court to be denied tenure in more than a half-century since the adoption of the Constitution of New Jersey in 1947.^[9] To fill the vacancy Chief Justice Stuart Rabner appointed a number of acting judges (known as Judge of the Appellate Division, Temporarily Assigned to the Supreme Court^[10]) during an extended period of controversy and conflict with the New Jersey Senate about the court's political composition.^[11]^[12]

Timeline of justices[]

References[]

^ October 29, Suzette Parmley |; PM, 2020 at 03:21. "Fernandez-Vina Tenured to NJ Supreme Court, 4 Approved for Superior Court". New Jersey Law Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
^ "Justices Biographies". njcourts.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Sullivan, Ronald (19 Apr 1973). "Cahill Names Two Justices And Supreme Court Chief: Nominees Praised 2 Meyner Nominees". The New York Times. p. 90.
^ The Founding Fathers: New Jersey - David Brearly Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed November 27, 2007.
^ James Kinsey Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 15, 2007.
^ Manuscript Group 283, Ewing Family (Trenton, NJ) Archived 2007-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, accessed January 9, 2007.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Metropolitan Area News in Brief". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 Mar 1977. p. 12.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b New Jersey Register. 5. New Jersey State Library: State of New Jersey. 1973. p. 129.
^ "The Politicization of a Respected Court" Archived 2020-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 16, 2010; accessed May 19, 2014.
^ "A new title for temporary Supreme Court members: The Auditor". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
^ "Appellate judge appointed temporary N.J. Supreme Court justice". Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
^ "A political fight provides N.J. Supreme Court with apolitical legal mind". Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.

[1] October 29, Suzette Parmley |; PM, 2020 at 03:21. "Fernandez-Vina Tenured to NJ Supreme Court, 4 Approved for Superior Court". New Jersey Law Journal. Retrieved 2021-01-21.

[2] "Justices Biographies". njcourts.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-18.

[:1-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c ^d Sullivan, Ronald (19 Apr 1973). "Cahill Names Two Justices And Supreme Court Chief: Nominees Praised 2 Meyner Nominees". The New York Times. p. 90.

[4] The Founding Fathers: New Jersey - David Brearly Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine, National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed November 27, 2007.

[5] James Kinsey Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 15, 2007.

[6] Manuscript Group 283, Ewing Family (Trenton, NJ) Archived 2007-10-05 at the Wayback Machine, accessed January 9, 2007.

[:0-7] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Metropolitan Area News in Brief". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 22 Mar 1977. p. 12.

[:2-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b New Jersey Register. 5. New Jersey State Library: State of New Jersey. 1973. p. 129.

[NYT2010-9] "The Politicization of a Respected Court" Archived 2020-08-31 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, December 16, 2010; accessed May 19, 2014.

[10] "A new title for temporary Supreme Court members: The Auditor". Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.

[11] "Appellate judge appointed temporary N.J. Supreme Court justice". Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

[12] "A political fight provides N.J. Supreme Court with apolitical legal mind". Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.

[1]

[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]