Robert Kirsch (judge)

Robert Andrew Kirsch[1] (born 1966)[1] is a judge from New Jersey who serves as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. He was a state court judge from 2010 to 2023.

Robert Kirsch
Kirsch on the bench at the Union County Superior Court in 2021
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Assumed office
May 8, 2023
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byFreda L. Wolfson
Judge of the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County
In office
2010 – May 8, 2023
Personal details
Born
Robert Andrew Kirsch

1966 (age 57–58)
Livingston, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (before 2021)
Independent (2021–present)
EducationEmory University (BA)
Fordham University (JD)

Education

Born in Livingston, New Jersey,[1] Kirsch grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, and attended Columbia High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Emory University in 1988 and a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law in 1991.[2][3]

Career

From 1991 to 1993, he served as a law clerk for Judge William J. Zloch of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. From 1993 to 1997, he was a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. From 1997 to 2010, he served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey. During his time there, Kirsch focused on prosecuting white collar crime.[4] From 2010 to 2023, he has served as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court for Union County.[2]

Federal judicial service

Kirsch was recommended for the court seat by Senator Robert Menendez.[5] On December 21, 2022, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Kirsch to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. On January 3, 2023, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Kirsch to the seat vacated by Judge Freda L. Wolfson, who retired on February 1, 2023.[6] On January 25, 2023, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[7] On April 20, 2023, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 13–8 vote.[8] On May 2, 2023, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 57–42 vote.[9] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 57–42 vote.[10] He received his judicial commission on May 8, 2023.[11]

Personal life

Kirsch was a Republican[5] until 2021, when he changed his registration to unaffiliated after the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[12]

References

Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
2023–present
Incumbent