In a joint announcement, Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Judiciary Committee Chair Nicholas Scutari, D-Union, revealed that the Judiciary Committee will take up Governor Murphy’s nomination of Fabiana Pierre-Louis as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey on August 24. If confirmed, she would take the seat currently occupied by Justice Timpone. He reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70 on November 10, 2020.
Based on what has appeared to date, Ms. Pierre-Louis is a highly-credentialed candidate, in keeping with other Justices of the Court. A graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick and Rutgers-Camden Law School, with high honors, she clerked for Justice Wallace, who held the same seat that Ms. Pierre-Louis will take if confirmed. She next was an associate at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads before joining New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she served for nine years. Among other things, she was the first woman of color to be named Attorney-in-Charge of a branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, holding that post in both the Trenton and Camden offices. She also established the Trenton Reentry Court, which helps offenders released from prison to re-enter society.
Ms. Pierre-Louis is currently a partner at Montgomery McCracken in Cherry Hill. There, she concentrates her practice on complex commercial litigation, white collar crime, and government investigations. Bar associations, Senators of both parties, and others have expressed favorable views of her nomination.
Ms. Pierre-Louis also has an impressive personal story. A first generation American, she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and the first person in her family to attend law school. She would be the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court and only the third Black Justice overall (Justices Coleman and Wallace were the others).
In short, Fabiana Pierre-Louis appears to be an excellent nominee who would enhance what many believe is the best state Supreme Court in the nation. Absent any startling revelations at her hearing, she should be confirmed with ease.