U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Third Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
| Judge | Appointed by | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Anne Elise Thompson | Carter (D) | 1979 |
| Joseph H. Rodriguez | Reagan (R) | 1985 |
| Mary Little Cooper | Bush (R) | 1992 |
| Katharine Sweeney Hayden | Clinton (D) | 1997 |
| Stanley R. Chesler | Bush (R) | 2002 |
| William J. Martini | Bush (R) | 2002 |
| Renée Marie Bumb | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Peter G. Sheridan | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Susan Davis Wigenton | Bush (R) | 2006 |
| Claire Claudia Cecchi | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Esther Salas | Obama (D) | 2011 |
| Kevin McNulty | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Michael Andre Shipp | Obama (D) | 2012 |
| Madeline Cox Arleo | Obama (D) | 2014 |
| Brian R. Martinotti | Obama (D) | 2016 |
| Julien Xavier Neals | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Christine Patricia O'Hearn | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Zahid Nisar Quraishi | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Karen McGlashan Williams | Biden (D) | 2021 |
| Georgette Castner | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Evelyn Padin | Biden (D) | 2022 |
| Michael Etan Farbiarz | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Robert Andrew Kirsch | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Jamel Ken Semper | Biden (D) | 2023 |
| Edward Sunyol Kiel | Biden (D) | 2024 |
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1789.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory. Data last verified 2026-06-28. Verify against the primary source before relying.