Robert Kirsch

District of New Jersey
	Third Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 17
	Judges: 17
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Renee Bumb
	Active judges: ; Madeline Arleo, Renee Bumb, Georgette Castner, Claire Cecchi, Michael Farbiarz, Edward Kiel, Robert Kirsch, Brian R. Martinotti, Julien Xavier Neals, Christine O'Hearn, Evelyn Padin, Zahid Quraishi, Esther Salas, Jamel Semper, Michael Shipp, Susan Wigenton, Karen Williams; Senior judges:; Stanley Chesler, Mary Cooper, Katharine Hayden, Noel Hillman, Robert Kugler, William Martini, Kevin McNulty, Joseph Rodriguez, Peter Sheridan, Anne Thompson

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Robert Kirsch
	Court: United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Progress
	Confirmed 119 days after nomination.
	Nominated: January 3, 2023
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: Questionnaire
	Hearing: January 25, 2023
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: April 20, 2023
	Confirmed: May 2, 2023
	Vote: 57 - 42

Robert Kirsch is a judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. On January 3, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kirsch to the court. Kirsch was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 2, 2023, by a vote of 57 - 42.^[1]^[2] To see a full list of judges appointed by Joe Biden, click here.

Kirsch was a judge on the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County.^[3]

The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (2023-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Joe Biden

On January 3, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kirsch to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.^[4] Kirsch received commission on May 8, 2023.^[5] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

Kirsch was confirmed by a 57 - 42 vote of the U.S. Senate on May 2, 2023.^[6] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Robert Kirsch confirmation vote (May 2, 2023)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	47	0	1
Republican	7	42	0
Independent	3	42	0
Total	57	42	1

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Kirsch's nomination on January 25, 2023. He was reported to the full Senate on April 20, 2023, after a 13-8 committee vote.^[1] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a full Senate vote.

Nomination

On January 3, 2023, President Joe Biden (D) nominated Kirsch to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.^[2] Kirsch was nominated to replace Judge Freda Wolfson, who retired on February 1, 2023.^[7]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Kirsch well qualified.^[8] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Biography

Education

Kirsch earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.^[9]

Professional career

Kirsch was a judge on the Vicinage 12 Superior Court in New Jersey. He worked in the Family Division.^[10] He was appointed by former Governor Jon Corzine in 2010.^[9] He served as a federal prosecutor before joining the Superior Court. As an assistant U.S. attorney, he dealt mainly with cases of white-collar crime. Prior to that, Kirsch served as a prosecutor in Washington for the Department of Justice.^[9]^[11]

About the court

The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey is one of 94 United States district courts. It was established in 1789. The court operates out of three locations, Camden, Newark and Trenton, New Jersey. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, based in downtown Philadelphia at the James Byrne Courthouse.

The District of New Jersey has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

To read opinions published by this court, click here.

The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.

As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.

After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.

If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.

The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.

If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Freda Wolfson	United States District Court for the District of New Jersey 2023-Present	Succeeded by -
Preceded by -	New Jersey Vicinage 12 Superior Court	Succeeded by -