Superior Court Judge David Katz Named Hudson Assignment Judge

Judge Jeffrey Jablonski Will Join the Appellate Division

Superior Court Judge David B. Katz has been named the new assignment judge for the Hudson Vicinage, effective Nov. 7, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced today.

Judge Katz, who has served as presiding judge of the Essex Family Division since 2015, succeeds Hudson Vicinage Assignment Judge Jeffrey Jablonski, who has accepted a position in the Appellate Division. Judge Jablonski has led the vicinage since 2021.

"I thank Judge Jablonski for his leadership of the Hudson Vicinage," Chief Justice Rabner said. "He has faced enormous personal challenges this past year and handled them with grace while he balanced the demands of the position of assignment judge. I am confident he will continue to serve with excellence in the Appellate Division."

Judge Katz has served on the bench in Essex County since 2008. He was assigned to the General Equity Division from 2013 to 2018. He is the past president of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the chair of the Supreme Court Family Practice Committee.

"My experience with the national council showed me that New Jersey's court system really sets a national standard in terms of innovation and reform, and in terms of its commitment to fairness and accessibility," Judge Katz said. "I hope to continue that fine tradition of excellence in Hudson County, and I thank Chief Justice Rabner for placing his confidence in me."

Judge Katz is a former mayor of Livingston and served as an EMT for his local first aid squad.

"Judge Katz is a dedicated public servant and a thoughtful jurist who will continue the fine tradition of leadership established by his predecessors in the Hudson Vicinage," Chief Justice Rabner said.

Judge Katz is a former partner at Weiner and Katz and served as general counsel for the Essex County Improvement Authority. He received his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law, a master's degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware. He began his legal career as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr.

Before leading the Hudson Vicinage, Judge Jablonski served as the presiding judge of the Chancery Division in the vicinage from 2018 to 2021. He was appointed to the bench in 2013, serving first in the civil division, where he was supervising judge of the special civil part before being selected as the complex litigation judge.

Prior to his judicial career, Judge Jablonski was in private practice from 1997 to 2013. He also worked for the Office of the Public Defender and was a municipal public defender for the town of Kearny. He earned his bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University.