A recent report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) revealed the caseloads of federal district court judges in New Jersey for the five years ending June 2023.
The data, which includes the number of individuals sentenced by each judge during that timeframe, highlights the diverse workloads handled within the state’s court system.
Leading the list is Judge Kevin Charles McNulty, who sentenced 218 individuals over the five years. Nominated by President Barack Obama McNulty to a federal judgeship on December 16, 2011, McNulty is the brother-in-law of New York US Senator Chuck Schumer.
He was born on October 28, 1954, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
Following closely behind are Judges Susan Davis Wigenton and Claire Claudia Cecchi, both former United States magistrate judges, with 206 and 197 sentences imposed, respectively.
Wigenton was the presiding judge for the trial concerning the Fort Lee lane closure scandal known as Bridgegate.
The report also showcases a range of caseloads among other judges.
Judges Madeline C. Arleo, Brian R. Martinotti, and Katharine Sweeney Hayden all sentenced more than 175 individuals during the period, while others, like Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez, oversaw a smaller caseload of 64 sentences.
It’s important to note that the number of sentences imposed doesn’t necessarily reflect the severity of the crimes or the complexity of the cases handled by each judge. Other factors, such as plea bargains and pretrial resolutions, can also influence sentencing statistics.
A separate report sheds light on the number of civil cases each federal district judge in New Jersey handled during the past 12 months. The data showcases a range of caseloads, highlighting the diverse workload distribution within the state’s court system.
Leading the list is Judge Zahid N. Quraishi with 423 civil cases assigned. Closely following are Judges Georgette Castner with 418 cases and Michael A. Shipp with 410 cases. Meanwhile, Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez handled the fewest civil cases among this group, overseeing 83 cases during the past year.
Judge Michael Etan Farbiarz closed the highest proportion of cases at 99.2%, followed closely by Judge Robert Andrew Kirsch at 99.2%. Both Judges Joseph H. Rodriguez and Renee Marie Bumb closed over 98% of their cases, while Peter G. Sheridan closed 93.1%. Notably, Judges Claire Claudia Cecchi and Georgette Castner, who handled the most cases (over 400 each), also achieved impressive closure rates of 75.5% and 80.4%, respectively.
| Judge | Cases | Pending Cases | Closed | Productivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecchi, Claire Claudia | 1268 | 513 | 755 | 0.595426 |
| Bumb, Renee Marie | 3094 | 11 | 2983 | 0.964124 |
| Quraishi, Zahid N. | 3634 | 405 | 3229 | 0.888553 |
| Arleo, Madeline C. | 3243 | 384 | 2859 | 0.881591 |
| O’Hearn, Christine Patricia | 3153 | 378 | 2775 | 0.880114 |
| Shipp, Michael A. | 3810 | 6372 | 2173 | 0.570341 |
| Williams, Karen M. | 3403 | 355 | 3048 | 0.895680 |
| Castner, Georgette | 4133 | 332 | 3801 | 0.919671 |
| Vazquez, John Michael | 2863 | 322 | 2541 | 0.887531 |
| Wigenton, Susan Davis | 1753 | 318 | 1435 | 0.818597 |
| Salas, Esther | 2963 | 308 | 2655 | 0.896051 |
| Neals, Julien Xavier | 3143 | 307 | 2836 | 0.902323 |
| McNulty, Kevin Charles | 3323 | 303 | 3020 | 0.908817 |
| Padin, Evelyn | 2982 | 299 | 2683 | 0.899732 |
| Martinotti, Brian R. | 3393 | 3234 | 71 | 0.020925 |
| Hillman, Noel Lawrence | 1932 | 202 | 1730 | 0.895445 |
| Kugler, Robert B. | 1382 | 2194 | 1168 | 0.845152 |
| Martini, William J. | 1301 | 137 | 1164 | 0.894696 |
| Hayden, Katharine Sweeney | 1281 | 123 | 1058 | 0.825917 |
| Sheridan, Peter G. | 1379 | 95 | 1284 | 0.931109 |
| Rodriguez, Joseph H. | 7181 | 81 | 7100 | 0.988720 |
| Chesler, Stanley R. | 9074 | 74 | 8300 | 0.914701 |
| Kirsch, Robert Andrew | 3663 | 30 | 3633 | 0.991810 |
| Farbiarz, Michael Etan | 2842 | 22 | 2820 | 0.992259 |
It’s crucial to remember that the number of cases assigned doesn’t necessarily reflect the complexity of each case or the judge’s overall workload. Factors like case settlements and pre-trial resolutions can also influence the number of cases reaching closure.
This data provides valuable insights into the workloads of federal district court judges in New Jersey.
The purpose of TRAC is to provide the American people — and institutions of oversight such as Congress, news organizations, public interest groups, businesses, scholars and lawyers — with comprehensive information about staffing, spending, and enforcement activities of the federal government.
In a working democracy that was consistent to its principles, government data collected and maintained by our tax dollars would be freely and readily made available to the American people. But in 1966, Congress found that a vast quantity of government information was being withheld and reacted by passing a law – the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This Act established the broad legal requirement that most government information must be made public.
This data provides valuable insights into the workloads of federal district court judges in New Jersey. It highlights the significant responsibility these individuals shoulder in upholding the law and ensuring the fair administration of justice within the state.