Superior Court Judge Ragonese Granted Tenure
"I've worked in Gloucester, Salem, Camden, Burlington and Cumberland" counties, said New Jersey Superior Court Judge Samuel Ragonese, a 1982 Temple University Beasley School of Law alumnus, told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I've been all over South Jersey."
May 11, 2020 at 06:59 PM
4 minute read
*This story was updated Thursday when Ragonese's tenure nomination was approved by the full Senate.
Superior Court Judge Samuel Ragonese's confirmation hearing to give him tenure on the bench until he reaches age 70 was postponed last month because COVID-19 kept lawmakers out of the Statehouse, but it was whisked through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, and the full Senate Thursday, by remote votes.
By a 9-0 vote Ragonese, who spent his law career in southern New Jersey and is presently assigned to the Civil Part in Gloucester County, garnered committee approval via Zoom on the Office of Legislative Services' website.
The full Senate approved the nomination unanimously during a long session Thursday afternoon.
The Legislature has been operating remotely since mid-March with social distancing guidelines in place to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The restrictions have barred public access to committee hearings and voting sessions in the last two months.
Ragonese, 63, now will be able to sit on the bench at least until the mandatory retirement age of 70.
During Monday's committee hearing, after giving thanks to the governor, his local senator (Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester), his assignment judge (Benjamin Telsey), Ragonese described the last seven years serving Vicinage 15 as "an extensive adventure." Ragonese has served in both the Family and Civil parts.
"I've worked in Gloucester, Salem, Camden, Burlington and Cumberland" counties, Ragonese, a 1982 Temple University Beasley School of Law alumnus, told the committee. "I've been all over South Jersey."
"I continue to accept faxes and emails from Day 1," Ragonese said. "It's become very essential in the last two months."
Before his appointment to the bench, Ragonese was the founding partner of Ragonese, Albano & Viola in Runnemede, where he practiced from 1985 to July 2013. He was a former associate of Bertman, Johnson & Sahli from 1983-85 in Hammonton.
Ragonese received his bachelor's degree in political science from Rutgers University-Camden in 1979. He graduated from Triton Regional High in 1975.
Like he did with Ragonese at a recent formal interview with the judge, Committee Chairman Nicolas Scutari, D-Union, asked Ragonese in Monday's hearing for his thoughts on the use of voir dire to determine the impartiality of potential jurors for civil lawsuits in New Jersey.
"It's an attempt to extract the most neutral opinion" to serve on a jury, Ragonese said of using voir dire. "It's an admirable and worthwhile effort."
Ragonese referenced his use of voir dire, which consists of five open-ended questions to select jury members, and explained his experience impaneling juries for civil trials.
Union County Superior Court Judge James Hely was credited as the primary author of the voir dire questions. One such question is, "Before a person is awarded monetary damages for an injury, the injured person must demonstrate the fault of another. How do you feel about that statement?"
Scutari, a practicing attorney with a law office in Linden, said at Monday's hearing that he is a strong advocate of the model to first-time and recurring members of the bench. Scutari said he recommends the use of voir dire but, as a lawmaker, cannot force members of the judicial branch to do so.
Nine of the 11 committee members were present—remotely, at least—to vote unanimously in favor of Rangonese's confirmation. Committee Vice Chairwoman Nellie Pou, D-Bergen, and Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, were absent.
"Congratulations, Judge Ragonese, and good luck to you," said Scutari after they voted on his nomination.
The committee then held a single vote on 15 noninterview nominations to fill various boards, councils and agencies. The vote was 9-0 for passage. Like Ragonese, those nominees were approved during Thursday's full vote as well.
Finally, Scutari ended Monday's 45-minute hearing by announcing that two nominations for the New Jersey Transit Board were pulled from Monday's scheduled list of nominees recently by Murphy. The two members were Michael Beson, of Ocean, to replace Myron Shevell, and Janna Chernetz, of Scotch Plains, to replace Bruce Meisel, for the term prescribed by law.
Sen. Loretta Weinberg, D-Bergen, who was part of a committee earlier this year to come up with ways to reform the troubled transit agency, expressed her disappointment at the abrupt removal of the nominations by the governor.
"If the governor felt the nominations didn't fulfill [requirements], he should have told us beforehand," Weinberg said. "This puts a big roadblock in filling that board in a transparent way."
*David Gialanella contributed to this report.
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