Judge Joseph W. Oxley Tenured Unanimously By NJ State Senate

Superior Court Judge Joseph W. Oxley was affirmed for tenure by a 40-0 vote by the New Jersey State Senate on Monday afternoon.

Nominated by Governor Chris Christie for a seven year term in 2012, Judge Oxley was renominated by Governor Phil Murphy last month.

“These past seven years have been the greatest years of my life, both personally and professionally,” Oxley told the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing last week, according to New Jersey Law Journal.

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Thornton Replacing Lawson as Monmouth Assignment Judge

Assignment Judge Lawrence M. Lawson administering the Oath of Office to Freeholder Gary Rich, January 2012.

New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced yesterday that Judge Lisa P. Thornton will replace Judge Lawrence M. Lawson as the Assignment Judge of the Monmouth County Vicinage, effective September 1, 2014.

Lawson, who has served on the bench since 1987 and as Assignment Judge since 1993, is retiring three years before he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Thornton will be the first female African-American Assignment Judge in the history of the New Jersey Court. She served as Rabner’s Chief of Staff when he was New Jersey’s Attorney General under Governor Jon Corzine.

A resident of Neptune, Thornton was appointed to the Court by Corzine in 2008. She earned her law degree from Rutgers-Newark in 1992 while she was employed by Prudential Financial. She was the Municipal Court Judge of Neptune Township from January of 1999 through December 2001. In 2002 Thornton was named special deputy commissioner of the Department of Banking and Insurance where she served until joining Corzine’s office as senior associate counsel in January of 2006 where she served until joining Rabner in the Attorney General’s Office in September of 2006.

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Oxley’s Nomination To Superior Court Announced By Christie

Photo credit: Scarcini, Hollenbeck

Governor Chris Christie nominated Monmouth County Republican Chairman Joe Oxley to the Superior Court this afternoon.

Oxley, who will complete his second term as Monmouth GOP Chair upon the election of his successor on June, 12, is a graduate of the University of Maryland and Delaware Law School.   He was elected Monmouth County Sheriff in 1995 after defeating William Lanzaro in the GOP primary and served as Sheriff until 2007.   He is a partner in the Scarinci Hollenbeck law firm and an adjunct professor at Monmouth University.

Oxley was elected Chairman by acclamation in June of 2008.  After narrowly losing control of the Monmouth County Freeholder Board in the Obama election of 08, Oxley brought stability and three straight victorious elections to a previously divided party.  He will leave his successor with a 5-0 Freeholder Board and an entirely Republican legislative delegation.

Oxley’s nomination has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a confirmation hearing.

Former Senate President John Bennett and State Committeewoman Christine Hanlon are running to replace Oxley as Monmouth GOP Chair.

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Oxley to be nominated to Superior Court

Photo credit: Scarcini, Hollenbeck

Governor Chris Christie has notified the State Senate of his intention to nominate Monmouth County Republican Chairman Joe Oxley to a seat on the Superior Court.

Gannett’s Michael Symons broke the news yesterday on the Capital Quickies blog.  The nomination was not included in the Governor’s email announcement of appointments and nominations yesterday but appears under Senate nominations on the legislature’s website.  Hat tip to Symons for thorough reporting.

Rumors of Oxley being appointed to the Monmouth County Vicinage were feverish throughout the Monmouth County legal community last November when the State Police was calling Oxley’s associates as part of the background check required before a judicial nomination.

Oxley told MMM at the time that unless the nomination was official, he would seek a third term as Chairman.   It appears to be official and the Monmouth GOP would appear to be heading into a race for a new Chairman on June 12th

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