The New Jersey State Senate voted unanimously this afternoon to confirm John Jay Hoffman to serve as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Hoffman, a former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, was nominated by Governor Murphy earlier this year to fill the seat of Associate Justice Lee A. Solomon, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 on August 17th.
“I am incredibly pleased that the State Senate has confirmed John Jay Hoffman with bipartisan support to serve as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court,” Murphy said in a statement moments after the vote.
“As demonstrated by his unanimous confirmation today, John has earned universal respect on both sides of the aisle for his honesty, integrity, and intellect.”
“Throughout his remarkable career, John has held a number of high-ranking positions at the federal and state levels, including serving as the Acting Attorney General of New Jersey for nearly three years. The addition of Justice Hoffman to our state’s highest court will continue the tradition of partisan balance and once again demonstrate that the judicial confirmation process in New Jersey transcends partisan politics,” Murphy added.
Hoffman joined the New Jersey State Comptroller’s Office in 2010 where he served as Director of Investigations, and led a division that investigated and reported on issues of local and state government fraud, abuse, waste, and corruption.
Two years later, he joined the Department of Law and Public Safety, joining Attorney General Jeff Chiesa’s senior staff and assuming the role of Executive Assistant Attorney General. In 2013, Governor Christie selected Hoffman to succeed Attorney General Chiesa to serve as the state’s chief law enforcement officer.
As Acting Attorney General, Hoffman led efforts to equip police with body-worn cameras as well as establish a new policy directive on officer-involved shootings.
In 2016, Hoffman left the Christie Administration and was appointed General Counsel of Rutgers University. In this role, he serves as the Chief Legal Officer for the state’s flagship university.
A New Jersey native, Hoffman was raised in Middlesex County where his exposure to the practice of law began at an early age from his father, a renowned attorney and longtime senior partner at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.
Hoffman currently resides in Marlton with his wife Mary Jude and their two children, Johnny and Maggie.