John B. Wefing
Distinguished Professor of New Jersey Law & History
John B. Wefing, the Distinguished Professor of New Jersey Law & History, has recently authored a biography of Richard J. Hughes, the only person to serve as both Governor and Chief Justice of New Jersey. The book was chosen as a 2010 Honor Book by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. In April of 2011, the Governor of New Jersey appointed Professor Wefing to the Governor's Council on Higher Education.
Professor Wefing specializes in federal and state constitutional law with particular emphasis on criminal issues. John B. Wefing has been a Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of law for the past 44 years. He has taught numerous courses including courses dealing with the New Jersey Constitution and the New Jersey Court System. He has written many law review articles. During his tenure at Seton Hall he has served as associate dean and acting dean. He has received many awards including the Young Lawyer of the Year from the New Jersey State Bar Association, the McQuade Medal presented for outstanding contributions to Seton Hall University and the Thomas More Medal for his devotion to the law and the Catholic Church. He was twice selected as Professor of the year by the student body. In 2012, he was selected "Teacher of the Year" by the New Jersey Academic Studies Alliance. Professor Wefing has been appointed by governors of New Jersey to state commissions. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Mount Saint Dominic Academy for his work on its board. He is “of counsel” to the firm of Waters McPherson McNeill in Secaucus, N.J. He is a graduate of St. Peter’s Prep and College. His law degree is from Catholic University and he holds a masters degree in law from New York University. He is married to the Honorable Dorothea O’C Wefing, who recently retired from her position, Presiding Judge for Administration of the Appellate Division, temporarily assigned to the New Jersey Supreme Court. They have three children, John, Paul and Dorry.
PUBLICATIONS
LAW REVIEW ARTICLES
Two Cheers for the Appointment System, 56 Wayne L. Rev. 583 (2010)
Chief Justice Richard J. Hughes and His Contributions to the Judiciary of New Jersey, 36 Seton Hall L. Rev. 1257 (2006)
The Performance of the New Jersey Supreme Court at the Opening of the Twenty-First Century: New Cast, Same Script, 32 Seton Hall L. Rev. 769 (2003)
Wishful Thinking by Ronald J. Tabak: Why DNA Evidence Will Not Lead To the Abolition of the Death Penalty, 33 Conn. L. Rev. 861 (2001)
Employer Drug Testing: Disparate Judicial and Legislative Responses, 63 Alb. L. Rev. 799 (2000)
The New Jersey Supreme Court 1948-1998: Fifty Years of Independence and Activism, 29 Rutgers L.J. 701 (1998)
State Supreme Court Justices - Who Are They?, 32 New Eng. L. Rev. 47 (1997)
Introduction to Symposium, Seton Hall Const. L.J. (1997)
A Case Study on the Right to Privacy, 11 T.M. Cooley L. Rev. 839 (1994)
Richard J. Hughes - Public Servant, 23 Seton Hall L. Rev. 411 (1993)
Cruel and Unusual Punishment, 20 Seton Hall L. Rev. 478 (1990) (reprinted in Crim. Prac. L. Rev.)
Search and Seizure: New Jersey Supreme Court v. United States Supreme Court, 7 Seton Hall L. Rev. 771 (1977)
Consent Searches and the Fourth Amendment, Voluntariness and Third Party Problems, 5 Seton Hall L. Rev. 211 (1974) (with Miles)
Automobile Search and the Fourth Amendment, A Troubled Relationship, 4 Seton Hall L. Rev. 105 (1972) (with Miles)
BOOKS AND BOOK CHAPTERS
The Life and Times of Richard J. Hughes: The Politics of Civility, in Rutgers University Press (2009)
Legal Systems of the World, A Political, Social and Cultural Encyclopedia, in New Jersey, Vol. III (2002)
BOOK REVIEWS
Book Reviews, 9 Seton Hall L. Rev. 625 (1978)
Book Reviews, 2 Seton Hall L. Rev. 268 (1971)