Alumnus, Judge Douglas Fasciale, ‘86, Nominated to Become Justice of NJ Supreme Court

 

September 22, 2022

Governor Phil Murphy announced his nomination of New Jersey Appellate Division Judge, Douglas Fasciale, to become a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court. He would be the 42^nd justice in the Court’s 75-year history.

Judge Fasciale graduated Seton Hall University with a bachelor’s in History in 1982, and he earned his J.D. from Seton Hall Law School in 1986. Upon finishing school, he clerked for Superior Court Judge John E. Keefe and thereafter worked as a trial lawyer in private practice for nearly two decades. He was appointed to the Superior Court in 2004, which he used as an opportunity to expand his expertise; he presided over a wide variety of divisions, starting in the special civil part, then serving in the family, civil, and criminal divisions. He finished his tenure as a trial judge as the presiding judge of the Drug Court. In 2010, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner elevated Judge Fasciale to the Appellate Division. Over the next twelve years, Judge Fasciale published 52 opinions.

“His service as a judge spans nearly every part of the New Jersey Judiciary, preparing him well to serve on our state’s highest court,” noted Governor Murphy. The governor, a democrat, noted that “Judge Fasciale may be a registered Republican, but he commands universal respect across the legal community. He also has my tremendous respect.” He further mentioned that Judge Fasciale had been unanimously recommended by the Governor’s Judicial Advisory Panel, which includes two former Chief Justices, one from each party.

Beyond being one of the most impressive graduates in Seton Hall Law School history, Judge Fasciale has been a loyal friend to the institution and an inspiration to others. Most notably, his two sons, Michael, ’22, and Steven, ’24, carry on the tradition of excellence, both serving on the Law Review in recent years.

Dean Boozang was overjoyed with the news, stating, “The people of New Jersey are the beneficiaries of Judge Fasciale’s potential ascendance to the high court. ”