Weeks before the New Jersey judiciary announced plans to implement enhanced judge training on sexual assault and other sensitive matters—and even before a pair of New Jersey Superior Court judges became the subject of national attention for their rulings in cases involving allegations of rape—Assemblywoman Nancy Pinkin had introduced a bill to require establishment of a training curriculum on the handling of cases involving sexually violent offenses for judges and other judicial officers.

And then after the cases involving Judges James Troiano and Marcia Silva became public, several lawmakers, including Pinkin, said the cases illustrate the need for judges to receive specialized training.