Freda L. Wolfson
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office
May 16, 2019 – February 1, 2023
Preceded byJose L. Linares
Succeeded byRenée Marie Bumb
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office
December 4, 2002 – February 1, 2023
Appointed byGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byNicholas H. Politan
Succeeded byRobert Kirsch
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
In office
1986–2002
Personal details
Born1954 (age 69–70)
Vineland, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
EducationRutgers University (BA, JD)

Freda Linsenbaum Wolfson (born 1954) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Early life and education

Born in Vineland, New Jersey,[2] Wolfson graduated from Douglass College in Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1976 and later from Rutgers Law School in Newark with a Juris Doctor in 1979. A daughter of Holocaust survivors, she credited the experiences of her parents as leading her to pursue a career in law.[3]

Career

Following law school graduation, Wolfson worked in private practice in New Jersey from 1979 to 1986 at the firms Lowenstein, Sandler, Kohl, Fisher & Boylan and Clapp & Eisenberg.[citation needed] Following her retirement from the federal bench, Wolfson rejoined her previous law firm, now known as Lowenstein Sandler, as a partner in the firm and as Chair of the firm's alternative dispute resolution group.[4]

Federal judicial service

Wolfson began her federal judicial career as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Wolfson was appointed to an eight-year term in 1986 and was re-appointed again in 1994 before serving another full eight-year term before her becoming an Article III judge in 2002.

Wolfson was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President George W. Bush on August 1, 2002, to a seat vacated by Judge Nicholas H. Politan. Wolfson was confirmed by the Senate on November 14, 2002. She received her commission on December 4, 2002.[5] She became Chief Judge on May 16, 2019, after the retirement of Jose L. Linares. She retired on February 1, 2023, and returned to private practice.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ "Where We Stand: Assessing Vacancies and Nominations in the Federal Judiciary – the Atlantic Coast". August 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Freda L. Wolfson, New Jersey Law Journal. Accessed February 6, 2014.
  3. ^ Hon. Freda L. Wolfson ’79, Commencement Speaker, Rutgers School of Law–Newark. Accessed February 6, 2014. "Freda Wolfson wanted to be part of the United States legal system for as long as she can remember. A first-generation American, daughter of Holocaust survivors, she inherited a respect for the law and our system of justice born of her family’s harrowing years in war-torn Europe."
  4. ^ "Former Chief Judge Freda L. Wolfson of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey Joins Lowenstein Sandler as Partner and Chair of the Firm's Alternative Dispute Resolution Group | Lowenstein Sandler LLP". www.lowenstein.com.
  5. ^ a b Freda L. Wolfson at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  6. ^ "After Half a Lifetime Spent on the Bench, Judge Wolfson Prepares for What's Next". New Jersey Law Journal.

Sources

Legal offices Preceded byNicholas H. Politan Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2002–2023 Succeeded byRobert Kirsch Preceded byJose L. Linares Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2019–2023 Succeeded byRenée Marie Bumb
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