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Judicial Appointment and Re-appointment to the Central Municipal Court

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Atlantic County is soliciting interest from all candidates seeking consideration for either appointment to or re-appointment to the Central Municipal Court (CMC) as Municipal Judge.  Failure to express interest consistent with this Notice will result in non-consideration.  This applies to current sitting CMC Judges as well.  Consideration for re-appointment will not be assumed.  While residency in Atlantic County is not required for consideration, residency in the Vicinage (Atlantic/Cape May) will certainly be a factor in appointment.

Following consideration, formal nominations will be made to the Office of the Governor.  If the Governor acts on any nomination, that appointment is good for a period of three years.  However, if the Governor does not formally act on any nomination, you should assume any appointment or re-appointment is only for the term January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025.

The conditions of appointment or re-appointment are materially different than they have been since 2021.  Thus, please review all conditions before deciding on whether to express interest.  Individuals can express interest for full-time or part-time appointment.  The exact number of full-time and part-time appointments has not yet been determined.

Atlantic County is eliminating the position of Chief Judge.  No one will be designated Chief Judge in the CMC, and no one will receive any additional stipend.

Atlantic County is eliminating “pay by sessions” for all CMC Judges, except fill-ins and conflicts.  If the CMC does not run on a 52-week calendar but elects to run a calendar of less than 52 weeks, Atlantic County reserves the right to require full-time and part-time Judge to take their vacation time and/or administrative time during days when the CMC is not in session.  If the CMC runs on a 52-week calendar, then vacation and administrative days will be as set forth below.

Case law establishes that Atlantic County must treat appointed Judges as its employees.  Thus, any full-time or part-time CMC Judges will, in fact, be Atlantic County employees.

The yearly salary for full-time CMC Judges for the 2025 term will be $125,000.00.  Any full-time appointed CMC Judge would be required to report to the Mays Landing Court House Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM through 4:30 PM.  However, he/she would only be required to work 8 of the 10 sessions Monday through Friday.  The 2 other sessions would be considered administrative sessions where one can complete paperwork for the CMC.  The appointed CMC Judge would have no input as to which of the 8 sessions he/she worked and which of the 2 sessions were administrative sessions.  The actual day-to-day operations of the CMC fall under the supervision of the Assignment Judge of the Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage in conjunction with the Presiding Judge of Municipal Courts of the Atlantic/Cape May Vicinage, the Trial Court Administrator, the Municipal Division Manager, and the CMC Administrator.  These individuals have 100% discretion in determining the operations of the CMC.

The yearly salary for part-time CMC Judges for the 2025 term would be the number of sessions assigned multiplied by $12,500.00.  Part-time CMC Judges would not be given administrative sessions.  For example, if given 2 sessions per week, that part-time CMC Judge would be paid $25,000.00 annually. 

As an Atlantic County employee, any full-time or part-time CMC Judge would be subject to all Atlantic County Human Resources policies, including its moonlighting policy.  All outside employment would need to be approved by the Human Resources Division Manager, in conjunction with the Department of Law.  Full-time appointed CMC Judges will not be permitted to perform any legal work for any other employer Monday through Friday between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM.  If one is found to be doing any such work, it will serve as immediate grounds for the discontinuation of his/her appointment.  Part-time appointed CMC Judges will not be permitted to perform any legal work for any other employer during his/her designated sessions.  If one is found to be doing any such work, it will serve as immediate grounds for the discontinuation of his/her appointment. 

As an Atlantic County employee, full-time judicial appointments to the CMC would receive the following employee benefits:

  • 15 vacation days per year
  • 4 administrative days per year
  • 15 sick days per year

The above is based on 10 sessions per week.

Part-time judicial appointments would receive the proportionate percentage of days based on the number of sessions assigned. For example, a part-time judicial appointment assigned 2 sessions per week would receive:

  • 3 vacation days per year
  • 1 administrative day per year
  • 3 sick days per year.

Regarding vacations, use of vacation days and administrative days require a minimum of 6 weeks’ notice to the CMC Trial Administrator.  Neither vacation days nor administrative days can be carried over year to year.  It is not an option to accumulate vacation days or administrative days and seek a lump-sum payment at the end of the calendar year. Sick days do carry over year to year.  If one were to call out sick, the CMC Trial Administrator would find your replacement.  One cannot work for any other employer if one calls out sick.  In other words, if one calls out sick, one cannot work for anyone from midnight to 11:59 PM on the same date for any employer.

Full-time appointed Judges’ salary includes having to attend the following:

  1. March 2025
    Municipal Division Summit Meeting (1 day Friday TBD)
  2. May or June 2025
    NJ State Judges Conference (2 days TBD)
  3. September 2025
    Municipal Division Quarterly Meeting (1 day Friday TBD)
  4. December 2025
    Municipal Division Quarterly Meeting (1 day Friday TBD)

Full-time appointed CMC Judges would be entitled to medical benefits, dental benefits, prescription drug coverage, and vision benefits through Atlantic County with the same contribution rates as all employees, which is based on salary.  If you do not need those benefits and Atlantic County has in place any reimbursement stipend in lieu of same, one would be entitled to same.  No part-time appointed CMC Judges will be assigned enough sessions in a pay period to trigger entitlement to medical benefits, dental benefits, prescription drug coverage, or vision benefits through Atlantic County.

Any direct or indirect solicitation by any appointed CMC Judge of current participating municipalities to leave the CMC to join any other joint municipal court or form its own court will be immediate grounds to have one’s appointment or re-appointment revoked.

Interested candidates must supply a resume and cover letter to Assistant County Counsel Arthur J. Murray at murray_arthur@aclink.org no later than October 11, 2024.  Said resume must include whether the candidate seeks full-time appointment, part-time appointment or either.  Said cover letter must also include answers to the following questions:

  1. The CMC receives approximately 55,000 filings per year. What is your experience working in a fast-paced environment and/or handling large caseloads?
  2. What would be your case management plan for your caseload and what are your ideas to reduce backlog?
  3. Judges at the CMC work closely with the Court Administrator, members of the Atlantic County Superior Court’s Municipal Division, and court staff. Describe how you would work with the Court Administrator and Municipal Division as part of the executive component.
  4. How would you establish a collaborative working relationship with court staff?
  5. What do you believe are the biggest challenges Municipal Courts, and particularly the CMC, are currently facing?
  6. Where do you see the CMC in 5 years?

Atlantic County and/or the Personnel Committee reserves the right to seek additional information from candidates and the right to interview candidates.  However, expression of interest by any candidate is not a guarantee that a candidate will be interviewed.

While Atlantic County reserves the right to consult with anyone as it relates to appointments including Atlantic County Court staff and participating members of the CMC, all judicial appointments remain in the sound discretion of the Executive of Atlantic County.