The president of the New Jersey State Bar Association is complaining that a veteran senator acted inappropriately when he quizzed a Superior Court judge, who had been nominated for tenure, about his personal life and his current marriage.

Bar President Thomas Prol sent a letter to Senate President Stephen Sweeney in February complaining about the questions Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Bergen, asked Judge Philip Maenza, during a contentious confirmation hearing. The Law Journal received a copy of the letter earlier this month.

Maenza, who currently is assigned to the Family Part in Morris County, had faced stiff opposition from litigants who claimed they had been verbally abused while appearing before him in court.