The New Jersey State Senate confirmed eight new judges to the Superior Court today, all of them on unanimous votes.
Two of the new judges, Niki Arbittier and Caroline Oliveira, were approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee just this morning, while the other six – Janine Allen, Martin Barbato, Russell DePersia, Julie Kim, Susan Olgiati, and Renard Scott – came before the Judiciary Committee last week.
But not among the nominees considered was Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride, a former assemblywoman who was initially scheduled for a committee hearing today. Judiciary Committee Chair Brian Stack (D-Union City) said that Caride, who was nominated to a Hudson County judgeship despite being a Bergen County resident, is being held until two other Hudson nominees are ready.
“We usually move the Hudson judges together, and just out of respect to Senator [Nicholas] Sacco and to Senator [Sandra] Cunningham, I held up Marlene Caride,” Stack said. “No issue with Marlene Caride at all. We just held her up until we have the three judges moving together, which we expect to happen in the next week or so.”
The eight new judges will bring the number of vacancies in the Superior Court system down to 60; the system has struggled with a high vacancy rate for several years now, with some vicinages having to cut back on trials because of a sheer lack of judges.
There are currently 22 judicial candidates who have been nominated by Gov. Phil Murphy but are still awaiting Senate confirmation; the other 38 open judgeships do not yet have a designated nominee.
Also awaiting confirmation is Michael Noriega, Murphy’s nominee to an open seat on the New Jersey Supreme Court. Noriega has enough Senate support to be confirmed, and his nomination is expected to be moved sometime before the legislature begins its summer recess at the beginning of July.
Judicial nomination tracker 620This story was updated at 3:19 p.m. with a correction: Caride lives in Bergen County, not Passaic County.
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March 24, 2020 -
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