After 16 years at the helm of the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, Judge Glenn A. Grant is retiring this coming March and will be replaced by Atlantic and Cape May Vicinage Assignment Judge Michael Blee.

Grant has served as a Superior Court judge for 25 years and as acting director of the administrative office of the courts since 2008. Blee has served as a Superior Court judge in Atlantic and Cape May counties since 2012, where he rose to assignment judge in 2022.

“I admire both Judge Grant and Chief Justice Rabner for their obvious leadership qualities,” Blee said in a news release from the Supreme Court Wednesday announcing the changes. “I’m inspired and humbled by this new opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to serve the public and continuing the great work of the Administrative Office of the Courts.”

Grant was the eighth director of the AOC, where he oversaw more then 9,000 judges and staff in the civil, criminal and family divisions. The job also involved managing probation services, operations management, and the office of information technology. He also chaired committees which dealt with access and fairness, artificial intelligence, strategic planning, and municipal court reform and other areas.

“Throughout a remarkable tenure, Judge Grant has brought an unwavering passion for justice, a commitment to excellence, boundless energy, and extraordinary dedication to his work as director of the Administrative Office of the Courts,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said. “He can retire knowing that our courts and our justice system will benefit from his accomplishments for decades to come.”

Grant’s accomplishments include criminal justice reforms, the development of the state’s electronic filing system called eCourts, and the annual Supreme Court Action Plan, as well as many other initiatives.

“Over the past 16 years, we’ve tried to advance the work of the courts in a way that benefits our society,” Grant said. “I believe that a strong judiciary is essential to a strong democracy. A strong judiciary protects the safety and well-being of our children, provides a forum for those who seek compensation for loss, ensures that disputes are resolved in a fair and equitable manner, provides opportunity for those who want to rehabilitate themselves, and upholds justice in a civil manner so that we can maintain an orderly society. Every day, the justices, judges, and staff play a vital role in ensuring the well-being of our community, and it has been my honor to be involved in that effort.”

Blee was appointed to lead the AOC by Rabner. He previously served as presiding judge of the Chancery Division in Atlantic and Cape May counties and in the vicinage’s criminal and family divisions. Blee has also been a municipal court judge for Linwood and Northfield, a municipal prosecutor, and a municipal public defender for Margate and Brigantine.

Blee is a graduate of Dickinson College and holds his law degree from Rutgers University School of Law, Camden. After law school, he joined Sprecher, Felix, Visco, Hutchinson & Young in Philadelphia and then worked for a series of law firms in New Jersey before opening his own general practice.

New Jersey State Bar Association President William H. Mergner Jr. said in a statement to the Law Journal that the organization greatly appreciates Grant's recent collaborations on supporting mental health and well-being in the profession, improving remote access to the courts, addressing bias in jury selection, and calling attention to the vacancy crisis in the judiciary.

"Additionally, Judge Grant has generously volunteered his expertise on educational panels for the benefit of New Jersey attorneys, most recently on artificial intelligence and its impact on the law," Mergner said. "The NJSBA also congratulates Assignment Judge Michael Blee as Judge Grant’s successor. The Association stands ready to work with him for the benefit of New Jersey attorneys, the judiciary and the public."