Governor Christie has nominated eighteen judges for tenure after their initial seven-year terms. Two of those judges currently sit in the Appellate Division. They are judges Gibbons Whipple and Vernoia. Judge Gibbons Whipple has been serving on Part B, while Judge Vernoia has been a member of Part F.
It is relatively rare for judges to be promoted to the Appellate Division early enough in their judicial careers that they come up for tenure while serving in the Appellate Division. These two judges are exceptions to that rule. Each of them served with distinction at the trial level (Judge Gibbons Whipple in the Family Part and Criminal Divisions of Morris County, and Judge Vernoia in those same courts in Monmouth County). Both are worthy of confirmation by the Senate.