Hudson County Superior Court Assignment Judge Peter Bariso, who has served in the past for the past nine years, will be retiring next month and Judge Jeffrey Jablonski will be succeeding him, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Judge Jablonski is a wise and thoughtful jurist who is poised to continue the culture of excellence in the Hudson Vicinage fostered under Judge Bariso’s leadership. I am confident that Hudson County, and the Judiciary as a whole, will be well served under his stewardship,” Rabner said in a statement.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude to Chief Justice Rabner for placing his confidence in me to lead the Hudson Vicinage. I look forward to continuing Judge Bariso’s legacy and to working with all of the outstanding judges and staff for the residents of Hudson County,” Jablonski added.
Jablonski, who was appointed to the bench by Gov. Chris Christie (R) in 2013 and reappointed by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) last year, will assume the role of Hudson County assignment judge on April 1st (Bariso will retire effective March 31st).
The presiding judge of the chancery division in the Hudson Vicinage since 2018, who received tenure almost exactly one year ago, raised some eyebrows at the end of last year by signing off on a temporary restraining order that seriously hindered protests outside of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise’s home in the Jersey City Heights.
The protests came on the heels of the Hudson County Board of Chosen Freeholders, now county commissioners, approving the extension of their contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for up to the next decade at their November 24th meeting.
Four people ended up being arrested and charged with contempt for violating the order. A hearing in the case is scheduled for March and the defendants are being represented by the ACLU.
Jablonski has presided over a number of other cases with significant political implications, including approving recounts in Bayonne following a tight board of education race in 2018, as well as dismissing a lawsuit New York Waterway brought against Hoboken related to the use of Union Dry Dock the following year.
