One of the newest federal trial judges in New Jersey is far ahead of his peers in the number of undecided motions pending for six months or more.

U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez of the District of New Jersey has 44 motions pending six months or more in the federal judiciary's latest semiannual listing, which is mandated under the Civil Justice Reform Act of 1990. Vazquez, who was confirmed in January 2016, has led the state's federal judges in the number of motions pending six months or more for the last five reporting periods.

Vazquez had 44 motions outstanding in September 2018, 56 motions in March 2018, 55 in September 2017, and 18 in March 2017.

The latest report includes a description of the status of Vazquez's 44 cases with long-pending motions. Four are marked "hearing on motion necessary," three say "referred to magistrate judge," and 37 are marked "opinion/decision in draft."

Vazquez's 44 motions pending more than six months aren't especially egregious compared with other federal judges nationally. Six judges, two in New York and one each in California, Georgia, Texas and the U.S. Virgin Islands, had more than 100 motions pending in excess of six months. Another 11 judges around the country had between 50 and 100 outstanding motions.

Two judges on senior status are Vazquez's runners-up in the latest report of motions pending six months or more in New Jersey. Judge Joseph Rodriguez was second, with 18 motions pending, and Judge Katharine Hayden was third with 15 motions pending.

District Judge Esther Salas is fourth with 11 motions pending, followed by Judge Noel Hillman with seven.

Eleven judges listed in the latest report had no motions pending more than six months—Chief Judge Freda Wolfson and Judges Brian Martinotti, Anne Thompson, Robert Kugler, Renee Bumb, Susan Wigenton, Claire Cecchi, Kevin McNulty and Michael Shipp along with Jose Linares, who has returned to private practice, and the late Jerome Simandle. Judges William Martini and Madeline Cox Arleo each had two outstanding motions in the latest report, and Stanley Chesler, Peter Sheridan and the late William Walls had one each.

The latest CJRA report was released to the public Oct. 27 by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. The report reflects civil caseloads as of March 31.

Vazquez did not respond to requests for comment on the backlog. Wolfson and Clerk of Court William Walsh also did not respond to requests for comment.

Vazquez and the rest of the state's District Court bench are laboring under a severe judge shortage, with six out of 17 seats currently vacant. President Donald Trump has yet to make any District Court nominations for New Jersey during his time in the White House.

As a result, New Jersey had 1,012 weighted filings per authorized judgeship in 2018, the second-highest of any judicial district in the nation. The Eastern District of Louisiana leads the nation with 1,219 weighted filings per judge. That compares with an average of 513 weighted filings per authorized judgeship for all district courts. Weighted filings per authorized judgeship is a yardstick the federal judiciary uses that accounts for both volume and complexity of each court's caseloads.

As for Vazquez's backlog, lawyers said the reasons could be complex. He could be saddled with "old dogs" sometimes transferred to new judges, or cases that linger on the docket because they are particularly hard to resolve, making veteran judges eager to unload them, said one longtime federal court practitioner speaking on condition of anonymity. That lawyer said he once had a federal case in New Jersey that was reassigned every time a new judge joined the court.

"Without knowing more about what's on his docket and the composition of his caseload, I wouldn't read anything into it," the lawyer said.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who studies the federal court system, said he wouldn't be surprised if some newly minted judges find themselves saddled with cases that other judges want to unload. When backlogs persist over time, it can indicate a problem but "caution is appropriate," he said.

Tobias said a judge who appears at the top of a list of backlogged cases might experience embarrassment, but he said the intention of the report is merely to have the data available publicly.

"I think collecting data is a good idea but publicizing it may or may not be," Tobias said. "I think the idea was that a chief judge who sees a pattern [of backlogs] might have a discussion with a particular judge and see if there is an issue. Sometimes, the judge might be sick. Sometimes the judge might have bad clerks. It's a delicate situation but I think the chief judges are pretty good at that sort of thing," he said.

Vazquez was confirmed by the Senate on Jan. 27, 2016. He was with the Roseland firm of Critchley, Kinum & Vazquez, where he handled patent infringement cases for drug companies and also represented criminal defendants.

Vazquez was an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of New Jersey from 2001 to 2006, working under then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie as a coordinator of health fraud cases. In 2006, he was recruited by then-Attorney General Stuart Rabner, another veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office, to serve as special assistant to the attorney general in charge of public corruption investigations. In that position, he also focused on securities fraud, Medicaid fraud and other economic crimes.

From 2007 to 2008, he served as first assistant attorney general for New Jersey, under Attorney General Anne Milgram. His duties included oversight of the Division of Criminal Justice, the Division of Law, the New Jersey State Police and the Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Vazquez received his law degree summa cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1996.