History of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Our District was one of the original 13 judicial districts established by the Judiciary Act of
1789. The District of New Jersey first convened on December 22, 1789, and is the second oldest District Court (and oldest undivided District Court) in the United States. The first judge of the District of New Jersey was David Brearley. From 1789 through 1905, only one judge was assigned to our District at any given time. That judge sat only six times each year. In the 1860s, 49 attorneys were admitted to practice in the district. Initially, court was held in New Brunswick and Burlington, in county courthouses or local taverns. But by the mid-1800s, those venues became obsolete, and court was held only in Trenton. Sessions of the District Court were authorized in Newark and Camden in 1911 and 1926, respectively.
By the 1950s, there were seven District Court judges in our District. At that time, there was
minimal interaction among the judges in Newark, Trenton, and Camden and no lawyer’s
association unifying the three vicinages. There were no Magistrate Judges or Bankruptcy Court Judges. At most, only one or two local rules existed.
The magistrate position was established by Congress in 1968. On, June 1, 1969, Michael Keller, who had served as Clerk of the Court, became the District’s first (and sole) Magistrate. The District’s first part-time Magistrate, Alfred H. Kaye, started January 1, 1971. Magistrates—judicial officers who officially became Magistrate Judges in 1990—were originally tasked with resolving preliminary matters and settling as many cases as possible before trial. Since then, in New Jersey our Magistrate Judges have taken on a far more active and visible role in administering justice. We now have 16 full-time Magistrate Judges and 1 part-time Magistrate Judge. Currently the part-time Magistrate Judge is responsible for managing enclave court matters. During fiscal year 1997, Magistrate Judges in this District handled 12,691pretrial matters in civil and criminal cases combined. By fiscal year 2013, they handled 14,490 pretrial matters in civil cases alone. During fiscal year 2023, a total of 17,195 civil and criminal pretrial matters were managed. There is no question that Magistrate Judges play an indispensable role in this District today.
District court judgeships are established through legislation passed by Congress. The number of judges is based on a number of factors including court size, workload, and structure. Since 1990, the District has maintained 17 authorized judgeships. In the District, there are a total of 23 District Judges including senior judges, all of whom are tasked with overseeing a continuously fluctuating caseload. In 1992, the District had 6,322 civil and criminal case filings. By 2010, there were 8,138 case filings. Civil filings increased 68% in 2018 to 22,086 (742 criminal cases). Multi-district litigation accounted for 60% of those cases. In 2021, the District ranked first in the Circuit and second nationwide in total case filings with 27,228 civil and criminal cases. Sixty five percent of those cases were multi-district litigation cases. Not only has the number of cases increased significantly, but the nature of the docket has also become increasingly complex. For example, the District has seen an influx of intellectual property litigation. From 1995 through 2012, our District ranked second nationwide for most ANDA pharmaceutical cases. In 2012, our District had nearly 200 patent case filings, ranking sixth in the nation. To ease the management of these complex cases, then Chief Judge Simandle organized and led a Local Patent Rules Committee, which drafted Local Civil Rule 9.3 (containing a comprehensive set of Local Patent Rules). The Local Patent Rules were adopted in our District in December 2008.
Multidistrict litigation (“MDL”) is a type of legal proceeding created to handle large and complicated cases involving a significant number of lawsuits arising from similar complaints, for example, high-profile product liability cases. To manage the complexities of these cases and ensure careful use of judicial resources, statutes have been enacted to govern MDL proceedings. These procedures have evolved since their inception in the 1960s. Over the years, the District has seen its share of MDL cases, displaying the District's expertise in handling such complex matters. Within the last few years, the District has been tasked with overseeing significant MDL cases, including the notable In Re: Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder case, which involved a staggering 54,894 cases, and the In Re: Proton-Pump Inhibitor Products, which involved 18,668 cases. Essentially, the District plays a pivotal role nationwide in handling prominent MDL litigation.
The Bankruptcy Court, as we know it today, began to take shape after the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978 was enacted. Its administrative functions are consolidated into a single Clerk’s Office, with staff located throughout Camden, Newark, and Trenton. There are 9 Bankruptcy Judges in the District as of 2024, handling approximately 15,000 matters per year. To accommodate the needs of an expanding Bench and Bar, new courthouses were constructed in all three vicinages beginning in the 1990s: Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building & Courthouse (Newark 1992); Clarkson S. Fisher Courthouse (Trenton 1993); and Mitchell H. Cohen Courthouse (Camden 2000).
By 1985, there were over 20,000 attorneys admitted to practice in our District. With the mission of creating camaraderie among judges, lawyers and historians while preserving the proud history and spirit of the “Federal Family,” the Historical Society of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey was established in 1988. Today, the Historical Society remains—in the words of its co-founder and first President Donald A. Robinson, Esq.—“alive and well.” It now boasts more than 200 members, including 20 law firm memberships.
The composition of the bench has changed substantially in recent years. In 1979, Judge Anne E. Thompson became the first African American and first female judge in our District. In 1983, she was joined by the second female, Judge Maryanne Trump Barry, who later was elevated as a Circuit Judge in 1999. In 1985, Judge Joseph Rodriguez became the first Hispanic American District Judge in our District. The first foreign born District Judges were former Chief Judge Anthony Augelli (born in Italy and appointed in 1961), Judge Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. (born in Great Britain, appointed in 1996 and later elevated to the Circuit), and Judge Jose L. Linares (born in Cuba and appointed in 2003). In 1997, Judge Susan D. Wigenton, became the District’s first African American Magistrate Judge and, subsequently, our District’s fourth African American District Judge. Judge Esther Salas became the District’s first Hispanic female Magistrate Judge in 2006, and then, District Judge in 2011. The District continues its diverse history including Zahid N. Quraishi, who became the District’s first Muslim Magistrate Judge in 2019, before being elevated to a District Judge in 2021. In 2022, Rukhsanah L. Singh became the District’s first Magistrate Judge of South Asian descent.
Advances in technology have in many ways revolutionized the way business is conducted in our District. For example, the electronic filing system—designed to ease the process of filing documents and retrieving information—was first introduced in the Bankruptcy Court in 2003 and in the District Court in 2004. Before its introduction, each morning, the docket clerks would retrieve their docket trays containing docket sheets and wheel them to their desks. Docket sheets then were processed through typewriters and entries were checked by a supervisor. Every night, trays of docket sheets were wheeled into a fireproof vault. With the introduction of the electronic service known as Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF), attorneys no longer were compelled to hurry to the courthouse to file papers or obtain copies of court records during regular business hours. For the first time, attorneys could file their own documents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from any location with internet access. From their homes or offices, attorneys could also view online or download all documents filed with the Court after January 5, 2004. At the beginning of 2020, the Court migrated to NextGen CM/ECF, simplifying the authentication method and automating the attorney admissions and registration process. Although docket clerks continue to analyze and manage docket information, standardized events allow them more efficiently to enter case information through a series of pre-designed screens and pre-printed text. Though the CM/ECF system now seems second nature, its introduction in 2004,
no doubt, was a game changer. It represented an entirely new way of doing business in the
District, with added flexibility and reduced costs.
Although the District has celebrated significant milestones in the past decades, it also has faced its challenges and repeatedly tackled head-on the issues presented. For example, as of 2009, almost 60 percent of New Jersey’s former inmates were being re-arrested within three years of their release. To address, this expensive and counterproductive cycle, our District launched a federal re-entry court pilot program in January 2013. The program is designed to facilitate federal inmates’ re-entry of federal inmates into society by providing them resources for education, counseling, rehabilitation, legal assistance, housing and jobs. The District’s Re-Entry Court reflects the collaborative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Public Defender, and the Probation Office to offer intensive supervision and re-entry services to any individuals who are determined by Probation to be at serious risk of reoffending upon leaving prison.
Another major challenge to the Court occurred in October 2012, when New Jersey was hit with Hurricane Sandy, resulting in catastrophic flooding throughout the State and the devastation of many of its shore towns. Well over 1,000 cases were filed in our District concerning flood losses and wind damage stemming from Hurricane Sandy. Our District responded to the influx by promptly establishing a Hurricane Sandy Case Management Order. which effectively streamlined the discovery and resolution processes.
The Court faced an unprecedented historic crisis when the Covid-19 Pandemic hit New Jersey in March 2020. The Pandemic necessitated a series of Standing Orders restricting all visitors to the District’s Courthouses and mandating virtual court hearings in civil and criminal matters. The Court radically changed its operations for an extended period. However, it never stopped operating, due to the hard work and creative minds of many District employees.
William T. Walsh, the District’s former Clerk of Court and the longest tenured Clerk in the nation, began his professional journey at the District as an Intake Clerk during the summer of 1979. Demonstrating remarkable efficiency and dedication, he quickly ascended the ranks. Within two years of starting as an Intake Clerk, he was promoted to Out-of-Court Supervisor in early 1982, and again, promoted within the same year to Deputy-in-Charge in late 1982. Mr. Walsh's exceptional performance and leadership qualities ultimately led to his appointment as Clerk of Court in 1986. Mr. Walsh retired in early 2023, leaving behind a legacy of distinguished service.
Upon Mr. Walsh's retirement, Melissa E. Rhoads, Esq., who held several roles within the District for more than 25 years, was appointed as the Clerk of Court on May 1, 2023. She served as Acting Clerk of Court since March 4, 2023 and, immediately before that, Chief Deputy of Operations. She is the District’s 21st Clerk of Court and, even more significantly, the first female Clerk in the District of New Jersey.
Our District has evolved from a small and simple organization into a complex and sizeable institution. Today, the District Court Clerk’s Office provides services to 40 Senior Judges, District Judges and Magistrate Judges, across three vicinages, as well as visiting and recalled Judges that aid with the District’s caseload. It employs approximately five hundred employees— including Clerk’s Office staff, Chambers staff, Pretrial Services and Probation. Our Bankruptcy Court has likewise grown into a thriving organization with nine Bankruptcy Judges and more than seventy employees. Over the years, there has been 96,000 attorneys admitted to practice in our District and over 500 pages of highly detailed local civil and criminal rules carefully designed to streamline the increasingly complex practice of law here. We are among the national leaders in complex multidistrict litigation and intellectual property cases. The Historical Society will continue to celebrate the District Court’s rich history as well as its continued growth and success.