A state court of last resort / Established 1929

New Jersey Supreme Court

Trenton · A court of last resort in New Jersey.

The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in New Jersey. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.

Justices in history

Currently serving

Appointment

Selection

7-yr

Term

Current justices

Justice	Since
Jaynee LaVecchia	2000
Barry T. Albin	2002
Stuart Rabner	2007
Anne M. Patterson	2011

Former justices

Justice	Years
Helen E. Hoens	2006–2013
Roberto A. Rivera-Soto	2004–2011
John E. Wallace Jr.	2003–2010
James Ronald Zazzali	2000–2007
Virginia Long	1999–2012
Peter Verniero	1999–2004
Deborah Tobias Poritz	1996–2006
James H. Coleman	1994–2003
Gary S. Stein	1985–2002
Marie Louise Garibaldi	1982–2000
Daniel Joseph O'Hern	1981–2000
Stewart Glasson Pollock	1979–1999
Robert Nathan Wilentz	1979–1996
Alan B. Handler	1977–1999
Sydney Schreiber	1975–1984
Robert L. Clifford	1973–1994
Pierre P. Garven	1973–1973
Richard Joseph Hughes	1973–1979
Morris Pashman	1973–1982
Mark A. Sullivan	1973–1981
Worrall Fredrick Mountain	1971–1979
Vincent S. Haneman	1960–1971
Frederick Wilson Hall	1959–1975
C. Thomas Schetting	1959–1972
C Thomas Schettino	1959–1972
John J. Francis	1957–1972
Haydn Proctor	1957–1973
Joseph Weintraub	1956–1973
William Joseph Brennan Jr.	1951–1956
Henry Elijah Ackerson Jr.	1948–1952
Nathan L. Jacobs	1948–1975
A Dayton Oliphant	1948–1957
Arthur T. Vanderbilt	1948–1957
Albert E. Burling	1947–1960
William A. Wachenfeld	1946–1959
Harry Heher	1932–1959
Joseph Lamb Bodine	1929–1948
Clarence E. Case	1929–1952

How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the New Jersey Supreme Court are appointed by the governor to 7-year terms. The governor nominates with Senate consent for an initial seven-year term; if reappointed, a justice gains tenure to age 70. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.

Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).