The grandson of a popular former congressman from New Jersey’s 11th district has been nominated to serve as a Superior Court Judge.
Joseph N. Minish’s grandfather, Joseph G. Minish (D-West Orange), served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1963 to 1985. Joe Minish lost his seat in 1984 after becoming a victim of court-imposed redistricting and a map that was drawn by a panel of federal judges.
The judge-designate has been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for nearly 22 years, serving in the health care and government fraud unit since 2013. He’s a former Assistant Essex County Prosecutor, Roseland municipal prosecutor, and adjunct professor at Essex County College. He also spent four years as an associate at the Roseland law firm of former Gov Brendan Byrne.
He was part of the team that prosecuted Paul Begrin, a former state and federal prosecutor who had used his own private law practice as a RICO enterprise
Joe Minish was a prominent labor leader when he won the seat left vacant by Democrat Hugh Addonizio, who had served almost 14 years in Congress and left on July 1, 1962, to become the mayor of Newark.
Minish had won 64% in 1982 but with a map that shifted NJ-11 west into Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. Minish’s percentage dropped to 44% and Assembly Minority Leader Dean Gallo (R-Parsippany) won the seat.
Congressman Minish died in 2007 at age 91.
