On Tuesday, May 2, the U.S. Senate confirmed Judge Robert Kirsch ’91 to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The former Union Country Superior Court Judge will replace retired Chief Justice Judge Freda Wolfson.
President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Judge Kirsch in December 2022. Judge Kirsch has served as a judge on the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County since 2010, currently serving as a trial court judge in the Criminal Division and previously serving in both the Civil and Family Divisions of the Superior Court. He is widely recognized as a long-time champion for juvenile justice and at-risk youth, which including his establishment of a state-wide juvenile reentry program. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Newark.
“All of us at Fordham Law are thrilled that another one of our graduates has been invited to join the federal bench,” said Fordham Law Dean Matthew Diller. “While on New Jersey’s Superior Court, Judge Kirsch has served the people of the state in ways that have made all of us proud, and I know he will continue to do so at the federal level.”
Judge Kirsch is the second Fordham Law alumni to join the federal judiciary in 2023. Judge Maria Araújo Kahn ’89, who was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, was confirmed in March.
For a detailed look at Judge Robert Kirsch’s career and achievements, read the January 5, 2023, post post below.
Judge Robert Kirsch ’91 Nominated to the U.S. District Court for New Jersey
On December 21, President Joe Biden announced his nomination of Judge Robert Kirsch ’91 to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Judge Kirsch has served as a judge on the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County since 2010, currently serving as a trial court judge in the Criminal Division and previously serving in both the Civil and Family Divisions of the Superior Court.
In addition to serving in various state and local leadership positions regarding juvenile justice, Judge Kirsch initiated a juvenile reentry program that was implemented statewide. The program was presented at every youth detention facility in the state serving at-risk youth. Judge Kirsch was selected by Family & Children’s Services of Union County as a “Champion for Children” in 2013 for his work on juvenile justice. In 2015, 2017, and 2019, he addressed the annual Prison Reentry Conference sponsored by former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey. Judge Kirsch actively supports the Integrity House, a well established nonprofit located in Newark and Secaucus whose mission is to provide therapeutic substance abuse treatment services to approximately 2,000 individuals each year.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Kirsch served for more than 12 years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Newark. In that capacity, Judge Kirsch served for four years in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where he handled civil litigation matters involving claims of employment discrimination, medical malpractice, constitutional torts, and personal injury. Thereafter, he served for more than eight years as a federal prosecutor, specializing in sophisticated white-collar fraud and handling a number of nationally high-profile criminal prosecutions. As a prosecutor, Judge Kirsch tried numerous cases involving complex international and domestic investment and corporate financial fraud schemes, as well as prosecutions for drug trafficking, weapons offenses, and theft. He clerked for Judge William Zloch on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida before joining the DOJ through the Attorney General’s Honors Program as a trial attorney in the Civil Division, where he handled complex civil litigation matters on behalf of the United States.
“We offer our hearty congratulations to Judge Kirsch on this well-deserved nomination,” said Dean Matthew Diller. “We are so proud of his service to the public which reflects our Law School’s motto, ‘In the service of others.’”
A Worthy Nomination
Judge Kirsch was one of six judges nominated by President Biden in his last group of nominations for 2022. A statement from the White House characterized Judge Kirsch and his fellow nominees as “extraordinarily qualified, experienced, and devoted to the rule of law and our Constitution.”
This was the second Fordham Law alumni nominated to the federal judiciary in 2022, joining Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Maria Araújo Kahn ’89, who is awaiting Senate confirmation on her nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Judge Kirsch’s nomination will go to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration—the first step of the confirmation process—this month.
Read more about Judge Kirsch’s nomination in the New Jersey Globe, Reuters, and on Law.com.
