Courts & rulings
New Jersey · highest court
Supreme Court of New Jersey
Appointed by governor
Chief: The Governor nominates one member specifically to serve as Chief Justice, subject to confirmation by the State Senate; it is a distinct appointment. Initial term is 7 years; upon reappointment justices receive tenure to the mandatory retirement age of 70..
Justices
All judges & justices →- Stuart Rabner
- Anne M. Patterson
- Fabiana Pierre-Louis
- Rachel Wainer Apter
- Douglas M. Fasciale
- Michael Noriega
- John Jay Hoffman
Roster as of 2026-06-13.
Constitution of the State of New Jersey
Adopted 1947. Its declaration of rights sits in Article I (Rights and Privileges). This court has the final word on what the New Jersey constitution means.
Primacy, interprets its own constitution first
How a state reads its own rights provisions relative to the federal floor, lockstep vs departure.
State-court structure and selection methods are from official and reference sources; the justice roster is point-in-time. Civibrief carries each state's highest court (lower state courts are out of scope for now).