Robert Kirsch
Kirsch on the bench at the Union County Superior Court in 2021
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Assumed office
May 8, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byFreda L. Wolfson
Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County
In office
2010 – May 8, 2023
Personal details
Born
Robert Andrew Kirsch

1966 (age 56–57)
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 2021)
Independent (2021–present)
EducationEmory University (BA)
Fordham University (JD)

Robert Andrew Kirsch[1] (born 1966)[1] is a judge from New Jersey who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He was a state court judge from 2010 to 2023.

Education

Born in Livingston, New Jersey,[1] Kirsch grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, and attended Columbia High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 1988 and a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1991.[2][3]

Career

From 1991 to 1993, he served as a law clerk for Judge William J. Zloch of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. From 1993 to 1997, he was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. From 1997 to 2010, he served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. During his time there, Kirsch focused on prosecuting white collar crime.[4] From 2010 to 2023, he has served as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County.[2]

Federal judicial service

Kirsch was recommended for the court seat by Senator Robert Menendez.[5] On December 21, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Kirsch to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. On January 3, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Kirsch to the seat vacated by Judge Freda L. Wolfson, who retired on February 1, 2023.[6] On January 25, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On April 20, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[8] On May 2, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 57–42 vote.[9] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 57–42 vote.[10] He received his judicial commission on May 8, 2023.[11]

Personal life

Kirsch was a Republican[5] until 2021, when he changed his registration to unaffiliated after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "President Biden Names Twenty-Eighth Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Sherman, Ted (April 18, 2010). "Ex-federal prosecutor is sworn in as Union County Superior Court judge". nj. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  4. ^ "Judge Robert Kirsch – Nominee to the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey". 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b Wildstein, David (December 21, 2022). "Biden picks top Port Authority lawyer, Superior Court judge, as federal judges in N.J." New Jersey Globe. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
  6. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. January 24, 2023.
  8. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – April 20, 2023" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  9. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Robert Kirsch to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey)". United States Senate. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Robert Kirsch, of New Jersey, to be United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey)". United States Senate. May 2, 2023. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Robert Kirsch at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  12. ^ Wildstein, David (May 2, 2023). "Updated: Senate confirms Farbiarz, Kirsch as federal judges". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved July 8, 2023.

External links

Legal offices Preceded byFreda L. Wolfson Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2023–present Incumbent
Active district judges of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals
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