Michael Noriega has made history as the first former public defender to be confirmed as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court after a 37-0 Senate floor vote Friday.

Noriega, a partner with Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan since 2014. Previously, he handled criminal cases as an assistant public defender in the Essex County Adult Trial Region from 2003 to 2008 and then spent six years at the helm of his own firm, Noriega & Associates. At the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on June 26, Noriega described his time as a solo practitioner as among the most challenging of his career.