Menendez delivers remarks at the nomination hearing of Jamel Semper to serve as U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) Wednesday delivered remarks at the Judiciary Committee hearing for the nomination of Jamel Semper to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Senator Menendez personally recommended Mr. Semper, a dedicated public servant who has devoted his career to keeping New Jerseyans safe as a prosecutor, for this position. Mr. Semper’s nomination enjoys the support of leading voices in communities of color across New Jersey, reflecting the trust he has built between law enforcement and New Jersey’s diverse population.
“I’m a firm believer that our independent judiciary must reflect the best of America’s values and its citizens,” Menendez said. “Which is why I can honestly say that Jamel Semper’s relentless commitment to public service combined with his temperament and the trust he has built with New Jerseyans – all of it is exactly what we look for in a federal judge.”
Jamel Semper has been a prosecutor for nearly his entire career, and previously served as Director of the Special Prosecution Unit in the Essex County Prosecutors Office.
He began his career in the Violent Crimes Unit at the United States Attorneys and has since held the positions of head of the Newark Violent Crime Unit, Chief of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit, and Chief of the Violent Crime Unit. Jamel is currently the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division at the United States Attorneys’ Office, a role in which he establishes and implements the New Jersey USAO’s violent crime reduction strategy.
Since 2021, Sen. Menendez has consistently urged President Biden to appoint federal court judges to address New Jersey’s “judicial emergency” of several longstanding district court vacancies prior to the Biden Administration. If confirmed, Mr. Semper would be the ninth Federal District Judge of New Jersey that President Joe Biden has nominated and the Senate has confirmed, including Julien X. Neals, Zahid Quraishi, Christine O’Hearn, Karen Williams, Georgette Castner, Evelyn Padin, Michael Fabiarz, and Robert Kirsch.
