The basics:
- Sherrill nominates 3 Superior Court judges, 1 Tax Court judge
- 2 Superior Court nominees would serve in Mercer County; 1 in Hunterdon County
- Senate confirmation would leave 26 Superior Court, 2 Tax Court vacancies
- New Jersey judicial vacancies previously exceeded 60 on average post-pandemic
New Jersey continues to chip away at a shortage of Superior Court judges that persisted over the past several years.
In an Oct. 15 press release, Gov. Mikie Sherrill nominated the following three Superior Court candidates:
John Laza – Hunterdon County
An attorney with more than two decades practicing with Flemington-based Lanza & Lanza LLP, Lanza represents clients in probate, civil litigation, appellate matters and real estate transactions. He is also a Hunterdon County commissioner, as well as a chief municipal prosecutor for multiple municipal courts across the region.
Joseph Paravecchia – Mercer County
Currently a first assistant prosecutor in the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office, he previously spent eight years as an assistant prosecutor in Mercer County. He also holds leadership roles in the Assistant Prosecutors Association of New Jersey, the Mercer County Bar Association and multiple committees of the New Jersey State Bar Association.
Nikki Davis Hladick – Mercer County
A litigation attorney with more than 15 years of experience, Davis Hladick has been lead attorney at Trenton-headquartered The Davis Law Firm since 2009. Before that, she worked as a legal specialist in the New Jersey Department of the Treasury’s Division of Purchase and Property. Outside of the office, she’s active in the Mercer County Bar Association and community boards such as Central Jersey Legal Services.
Sherrill also tapped William Maslo as a Tax Court judge.
Maslo is presently a supervisory assistant corporation counsel for Jersey City, as well as an assistant municipal prosecutor. His prior roles included acting as city attorney for Passaic and board attorney posts for many municipal commissions and land use boards.
An ‘exceptional slate’
Sherrill said, “I am proud to put forward this exceptional slate of judicial nominees to serve on New Jersey’s courts. John Lanza, Joseph Paravecchia, Nikki Davis Hladick, and William Maslo each bring deep legal expertise, integrity, and a demonstrated commitment to fairness in the justice system.”
Currently, there are a total of 463 authorized judgeships for Superior Court/Appellate Court and 12 authorized judgeships for Tax Court, according to a New Jersey Supreme Court spokesperson.
If the newly announced nominees are confirmed by the state Senate, that would put the number of vacancies at 26 for Superior Court judges and two for Tax Court judges, the media representative said.
New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner has said hebelieves the judiciary can operate sustainably if vacancies are between 25 and 30.
Even before the pandemic, New Jersey faced rising judicial vacancies amid reported tensions between then-Gov. Phil Murphy and Democratic legislative leaders over appointments. COVID-19 compounded the shortage by disrupting nominations and confirmations, while judicial retirements also added to the problem.
Post pandemic, the state spent several years with an average of more than 60 judicial vacancies. As a result, that triggered trial suspensions and delays to existing proceedings.When the state reached 75 vacancies in mid-2022, Rabner warned lawmakers that the shortage could leave some cases unscheduled altogether.Officials began making progress that year, though vacancies remained elevated for some time before falling more sharply in late 2025 and early 2026.
The post Sherrill nominates 3 Superior Court judges, 1 Tax Court judge appeared first on NJBIZ.
