The Senate chamber of the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton, New Jersey. Credit: Niagara via Wikimedia Commons

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to advance three nominees to fill seats on the shorthanded Union County Superior Court.

James B. Johnston, Jeyanthi C. Rajaraman and Heidi R. Weintraub will advance to confirmation votes by the full Senate after their nominations to the bench won unanimous approval from the committee.

The votes to advance their nominations come at a critical time for the courts in Union County, which has six vacancies, tying it with Mercer County for the largest number of vacancies in the state judiciary.

Johnston is a former lieutenant detective at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, an attorney for the Jersey City Law Department, and the Union Township Planning Board secretary. If confirmed, Johnston will succeed Judge William A. Daniel on the Union County bench. He holds bachelor's, master's and law degrees from Seton Hall University.

"Over the years, I have worked in both private practice and in the public sector in many varied positions, from police work to corporation counsel," Johnston said in remarks to the committee. "While I enjoy both, I remain inspired by the good that comes from working with the public. People need help and counsel, they are looking for fairness, and they come to the court seeking that. Presiding as a judge and serving the people of Union County at this level is an opportunity I do not take lightly." 

Sen. Jon Bramnick, R-Union, spoke in favor of Johnston's nomination.

"We are lucky that you have agreed to sit on the bench because real experience as a police officer is really helpful when you're making decisions, because you have that real-life experience," Bramnick said.

Rajaraman is associate director of the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law. She is a former chief counsel of the Family Representation Project at Legal Services of New Jersey, an ex-public defender, and an adjunct professor at Seton Hall Law School. If confirmed, she will succeed Judge James Hely on the Union County bench. She is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, and received her law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.

"If confirmed, I believe that my experience, compassion, dedication to public service will guide me in this role," Rajaraman said in remarks to the committee. "If given this honor, I promise to be diligent, impartial and prepared. I will listen with an open mind, ensuring fairness and access to justice for everyone. I will always be mindful of the pressures those who appear before the court face and strive to maintain a fair and accessible courtroom." 

Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, said Rajaraman, if confirmed, would be the first South Asian judge in Union County.

"For myself, growing up, I didn't see a lot of people who look like me, and that obviously affects mental health, whether it's teachers, cops, and where we see a very fast-growing South Asian community. I want to commend the Senate president, not just for picking someone extraordinarily qualified, but also to have someone whose parents live in my district," Gopal said.

Weintraub is a partner of Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins. She is a civil litigator specializing in employment law. If confirmed, Weintraub will succeed Judge Alan G. Lesnewich. Weintraub earned her law degree from American University and her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas.

"I have wanted to be a judge from the very first time I stepped into a courtroom in Camden County, New Jersey, so long ago," Weintraub told the committee.

"From that day forward, I have spent time honing my skills as a civil trial lawyer with the hope of one day being given the opportunity to ascend to the bench. I have handled and tried a myriad of cases from employment to medical malpractice. However, in recent years, I have devoted much of my professional life to representing families and victims of school bullying. It has been my privilege to represent these families, and I believe I have made a difference in their lives. These experiences have shaped who I am today," Weintraub said.

Bramnick said Weintraub would understand the challenges faced by lawyers who appear in her court.

"Future Judge Weintraub said, what to me is the most important part of sitting on the bench, and that's understanding the stressors of trial lawyers, understanding the stress. By you being in the courtroom, you have the full picture of what people go through," Bramnick said.

New Jersey's state courts have 44 vacancies as of Wednesday, according to the judiciary. That number has continued to climb over the summer after there were only 38 in June.