Senate panel advances five new judges to reduce persistent vacancies on the bench

The Senate’s judiciary committee advanced the nominations of five new Superior Court judges and the reappointment of two sitting jurists Thursday, progress toward chipping away at a longstanding judicial shortage that had left some vicinages unable to hold civil and divorce trials.

The nominees, three of whom are women in a court system whose jurists skew male, are expected to go before the full Senate for confirmation Monday.

The courts are now short 50 judges, said MaryAnn Spoto, a courts spokeswoman. But once the full Senate confirms the five nominees advanced Thursday and another seven nominees advanced last week, vacancies will drop to 38.  Court officials have said the court system could operate sustainably with a maximum of 30 vacancies. Understaffing hit a record high in May 2022, when the bench was down 78 jurists and some courts reported years-long backlogs.

The nominees approved Thursday were Ronda Casson Cotroneo of Ringwood; Joy-Michele Johnson of Woodland Park; William E. Marsala of Ringwood; Robert W. Rubinstein of Lawrenceville; and Elissa Mizzone Testa of Wayne, an administrative law judge who will move to Superior Court.

Committee members also reappointed Superior Court Judges Edward W. Hoffman of Marlton and Benjamin Podolnick of Northfield.

New Jersey’s Chief Justice Stuart Rabner earlier this month lifted the suspension of civil and divorce trials in the Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren vicinage. Passaic County is now the only vicinage where civil and matrimonial trials remain suspended, Spoto said.