The Senate Judiciary Committee has moved forward with the nominations of three candidates for judgeships on the Union County Superior Court, a decision expected to alleviate one of the most acute judge vacancy scenarios in the New Jersey judiciary. Union County is grappling with six judicial vacancies, a number matched only by Mercer County within the state.
The nominees, James B. Johnston, Jeyanthi C. Rajaraman, and Heidi R. Weintraub, received unanimous backing from the committee and will now proceed to confirmation votes by the full senate. Johnston, previously affiliated with the Essex County Prosecutor’s office and Jersey City Law Department, succeeds Judge William A. Daniel. Rajaraman, who could become the first South Asian judge in Union County, brings ample experience as associate director of the ABA’s Center on Children and the Law. Weintraub, a civil litigator specializing in employment law, has been poised to fill a judiciary role since her early days in the courtroom.
Their nominations and the broader implications for the New Jersey judiciary’s functionality are further examined in the original article.