The novel coronavirus pandemic has put Passaic County Superior Court Judge Sohail Mohammed in the catbird seat. Unintentionally, the current crisis has become his moment to shine—his very own “trip to Mars,” as he puts it.

Since New Jersey’s courtrooms largely shuttered under a series of directives by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, Mohammed’s technical skills—a New Jersey Institute of Technology graduate, he was working full time as an electrical engineer while attending law school at night at Seton Hall University—are in high demand. He’s clearly in his element teaching the ins and outs of remote courtroom proceedings.