The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) is among the many advocates urging the Governor and the State Senate to end the state judicial vacancy shortage by nominating and confirming judges quickly. We applaud the work of the NJSBA under President Jeralyn L. Lawrence in calling for action to fill the vacant seats since the beginning of her term.

In the request to fill the vacant seats, there is one aspect of the New Jersey judicial vacancy crisis conversation that has not been properly highlighted. The missing component of the discussion is the lost opportunities for recent law graduates to serve as law clerks to each unoccupied seat on the bench. The NJSBA currently estimates that there are about 60 vacancies, which means that there are about 60 squandered opportunities for nascent lawyers to begin their law career clerking in New Jersey.