Rachel Wainer Apter

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Rachel Wainer Apter
Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court
Assumed office
October 21, 2022
Appointed byPhil Murphy
Preceded byJaynee LaVecchia
Personal details
Born (1980-07-22) July 22, 1980 (age 43)[1]
Political partyDemocratic[2]
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA)
Harvard University (JD)

Rachel Wainer Apter (born July 22, 1980) is an American lawyer who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.[3]

Early life and education[edit]

Wainer Apter grew up in Rockaway, New Jersey, where she attended Morris Hills High School.[4] She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania and received her Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, graduating in 2007.[4][5][6]

Career[edit]

After law school, Wainer Apter clerked for Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then for Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.[4] She then went on to clerk for Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court of the United States.[3][4] Wainer Apter then worked in the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice at Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe and as an attorney at the ACLU in New York.[7] She then became counsel to the Attorney General of New Jersey and then director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights.[7]

While working at the New Jersey Attorney General office, Wainer Apter led a team that sought to uphold the DACA program.[8]

On March 15, 2021, Governor Phil Murphy nominated Wainer Apter to be an associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey.[3] She was nominated to replace the retiring Justice Jaynee LaVecchia.[7] Her nomination expired in 2021 due to Senator Holly Schepisi refusing to give senatorial consent and blocking her nomination.[9][10] In January 2022, Schepisi suggested she may be open to supporting Wainer Apter's nomination.[11] On January 11, 2022, Governor Murphy renominated Wainer Apter.[12][13] On October 13, 2022, her nomination was voted out of committee by an 8–3 vote, after Republicans voiced their concern over her time with her time as a director of the civil rights division of the New Jersey Attorney General's office and staff attorney for the ACLU.[14] On October 17, 2022, her nomination was confirmed by a 23–14 vote.[15] She was sworn into office on October 21, 2022.[16]

Personal life[edit]

A resident of Englewood, New Jersey, Wainer Apter and her husband have three children.[4][5]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Justices Biographies".
  2. ^ "North Jersey native tapped by Gov. Phil Murphy to state Supreme Court. Here's who she is".
  3. ^ a b c "Gov. Murphy names civil rights division head to New Jersey's high court". 6abc Philadelphia. The Associated Press. March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Wildstein, David (March 14, 2021). "Rachel Wainer Apter will be Murphy's pick for New Jersey Supreme Court". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Racioppi, Dustin. "North Jersey native tapped by Gov. Phil Murphy to state Supreme Court. Here's who she is", The Record, March 15, 2021. Accessed March 16, 2021. "Wainer Apter grew up in Rockaway and graduated from Morris Hills High School. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her juris doctorate from Harvard Law School. She lives in Englewood with her husband, Jonathan, and three children."
  6. ^ Lat, David (August 10, 2010). "Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Justice Kagan's Clerks! - Above the LawAbove the Law". Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Johnsn, Brent Johnson (March 15, 2021). "Murphy picks civil rights attorney, former Ruth Bader Ginsburg clerk to join N.J. Supreme Court". nj. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  8. ^ O'Dea, Collen (October 18, 2022). "Long wait over, NJ gets two new Supreme Court justices". New Spotlight News. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  9. ^ Fox, Joey (October 6, 2021). "Murphy optimistic on Wainer Apter nomination despite long delay". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  10. ^ Fox, Joey (December 6, 2021). "Nine months after Wainer Apter's nomination, Schepisi remains noncommittal". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Biryukov, Nikita (January 10, 2022). "Senator suggests deal may be near for stalled Supreme Court nominee". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  12. ^ "Governor Murphy Announces Intention to Renominate Rachel Wainer Apter to Serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court" (Press release). Trenton, New Jersey: Office of the Governor. January 11, 2022. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  13. ^ Wildstein, David (January 11, 2022). "Murphy to renominate Wainer Apter to Supreme Court". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. ^ Parmley, Suzette (October 13, 2022). "Murphy picks for N.J. Supreme Court advance, but not before one's activist past is questioned". nj. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  15. ^ Biryukov, Nikita (October 17, 2022). "Lawmakers confirm two for New Jersey Supreme Court seats". New Jersey Monitor. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  16. ^ Wildstein, David (October 21, 2022). "Fisher steps down from Supreme Court assignment, leaving Sabatino as 7th justice". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey
2022–present 		Incumbent
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