John Michael Vazquez
John Michael Vazquez | |
|---|---|
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| Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey | |
| In office January 29, 2016 – September 8, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Joel A. Pisano |
| Succeeded by | Jamel K. Semper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1970 Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Education | Rutgers University (BA) Seton Hall University (JD) |
John Michael Vazquez (born May 11, 1970) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Early life and education
[edit]Vazquez was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1970.[1] His family moved to New Jersey when he was several months old.[2] Vazquez received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1992 from Rutgers University. He received a Juris Doctor, summa cum laude, in 1996 from Seton Hall University School of Law.[1][3]
Career
[edit]Vasquez served as law clerk to Judge Herman D. Michels of the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, from 1996 to 1997.[1]
He served as an associate in the Law Offices of Michael Critchley and Associates from 1997 to 2001. From 2001 to 2006, he was an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. From 2006 to 2008, he worked in the Office of the New Jersey Attorney General, serving first as special assistant to the Attorney General and subsequently as first assistant attorney general. from 2008 to 2016, he was a partner at Critchley, Kinum & Vazquez, LLC.[3] In that role, Vasquez represented Anthony R. Suarez, mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey, during his 2010 trial on corruption charges, and won an acquittal, ending "a government streak of more than 200 public corruption convictions spanning more than a decade."[4]
Federal judicial service
[edit]On March 26, 2015, President Barack Obama nominated Vazquez to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, to the seat vacated by Judge Joel A. Pisano, who retired on February 16, 2015. Vasquez was unanimously rated as "well qualified" for the judgeship by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary, the committee's highest rating.[5] His nomination received the support of both of New Jersey's senators, Cory Booker and Robert Menendez.[6] His nomination was reported from the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 17, 2015, by a voice vote.[7][8] Vazquez was confirmed by the Senate on January 27, 2016, by a 84–2 vote.[9] He received his judicial commission on January 29, 2016.[1] On March 22, 2023, Vazquez gave notice of his intent to resign from office as of September 8, 2023.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d John Michael Vazquez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ Maureen T. Coghlan, An Interview with the Honorable John Michael Vazquez, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, New Jersey State Bar Association Federal Practice and Procedure Section (January 2017).
- ^ a b "President Obama Nominates Two to Serve on the United States District Courts" (Press release). White House Office of the Press Secretary. March 26, 2015.
- ^ Herb Jackson, Senate confirms N.J. attorney John Michael Vazquez to be federal judge, The Record (January 27, 2016).
- ^ Rating of Article III and Article IV Judicial Nominees, 114th Congress, American Bar Association, Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
- ^ Tim Darragh, New federal judge should ease judicial logjam, NJ Advance Media (February 2, 2016).
- ^ "Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate". White House Office of the Press Secretary. March 26, 2015.
- ^ "Executive Business Meeting". United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. September 17, 2015.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation John Michael Vazquez, of New Jersey, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey". United States Senate, 114th Congress, 2nd Session. January 27, 2016.
- ^ Raymond, Nate (23 March 2023). "New Jersey judge becomes latest Obama appointee to resign early". Reuters. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
External links
[edit]- John Michael Vazquez at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- John Michael Vazquez at Ballotpedia
- 1970 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American lawyers
- Assistant United States Attorneys
- Hispanic and Latino American judges
- Hispanic and Latino American lawyers
- Judges of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
- Lawyers from Honolulu
- New Jersey lawyers
- Rutgers University alumni
- Seton Hall University School of Law alumni
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama