District of New Jersey / Appointed 2023 / Active
Jamel Ken Semper
Judge, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
Appointed by President Joseph R. Biden in 2023 and confirmed by the Senate 54–44, Jamel Ken Semper is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He earned a law degree from Rutgers School of Law -- Newark in 2007. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1981 · age 45
- Appointed by
- Joseph R. Biden, 2023
- Confirmed
- 54–44
- Education
- Hampton 2003 · Rutgers Law -- Newark 2007
- Succeeded
- John Michael Vazquez
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | District of New Jersey succeeded John Michael Vazquez | Biden (D) | 54–44 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 54–44 on November 29, 2023 · 118th Congress, Roll Call 322. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 54
47 D, 4 R, 3 I
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Cory Booker(D-NJ)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Laphonza Butler(D-CA)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Catherine Cortez Masto(D-NV)
- Tammy Duckworth(D-IL)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- John Fetterman(D-PA)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Maggie Hassan(D-NH)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Mark Kelly(D-AZ)
- John Kennedy(R-LA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Ben Lujan(D-NM)
- Joseph Manchin(D-WV)
- Edward Markey(D-MA)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Jon Ossoff(D-GA)
- Alex Padilla(D-CA)
- Gary Peters(D-MI)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Jacklyn Rosen(D-NV)
- Bernard Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Kyrsten Sinema(I-AZ)
- Tina Smith(D-MN)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- Chris Van Hollen(D-MD)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Raphael Warnock(D-GA)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
- Peter Welch(D-VT)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Voted against · 44
44 R
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Marsha Blackburn(R-TN)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Mike Braun(R-IN)
- Katie Britt(R-AL)
- Ted Budd(R-NC)
- Shelley Capito(R-WV)
- Bill Cassidy(R-LA)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Tom Cotton(R-AR)
- Kevin Cramer(R-ND)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Steve Daines(R-MT)
- Joni Ernst(R-IA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Bill Hagerty(R-TN)
- Josh Hawley(R-MO)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Cindy Hyde-Smith(R-MS)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- James Lankford(R-OK)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Cynthia Lummis(R-WY)
- Roger Marshall(R-KS)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Markwayne Mullin(R-OK)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Pete Ricketts(R-NE)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Mitt Romney(R-UT)
- Mike Rounds(R-SD)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Eric Schmitt(R-MO)
- Rick Scott(R-FL)
- Tim Scott(R-SC)
- Dan Sullivan(R-AK)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Thomas Tillis(R-NC)
- Tommy Tuberville(R-AL)
- J. Vance(R-OH)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Todd Young(R-IN)
Did not vote · 2
1 D, 1 R
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- John Hickenlooper(D-CO)
Education
| Hampton University | B.A. | 2003 |
| Rutgers School of Law -- Newark | J.D. | 2007 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. Harold Fullilove, Superior Court of New Jersey | 2007-2008 |
| Assistant prosecutor, Union County, New Jersey, 2008-2013; Appellate Unit, 2008-2009; Juvenile Unit, 2009-2010; Adult Trial Unit | 2010-2013 |
| Assistant prosecutor, Essex County, New Jersey, 2013-2016; Trial Unit, 2013-2014; Carjacking Unit, 2014; Homicide Task Force | 2014-2016 |
| Director, Special Prosecutions Unit, Essex County, New Jersey | 2016-2018 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, District of New Jersey | 2018-2023 |
| Violent Crimes Unit | 2018-2019 |
| Economic Crimes Unit | 2019 |
| Chief, Violent Crimes Unit | 2019-2020 |
| Chief, Organized Crime and Gangs Unit | 2020-2022 |
| Chief, Newark Violent Crime Initiative | 2021-2023 |
| Deputy chief, Criminal Division | 2022-2023 |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Jamel Ken Semper?
- President Joseph R. Biden appointed Jamel Ken Semper to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in 2023.
- Was Jamel Ken Semper appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Jamel Ken Semper was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Jamel Ken Semper's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Jamel Ken Semper 54–44 on November 29, 2023.
- Which court is Jamel Ken Semper on?
- Jamel Ken Semper is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2023)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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2 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).