The Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County Family Division, is the busiest family law courthouse in New Jersey. The diverse county of Essex includes wealthy areas like Short Hills and Livingston and poorer areas in Irvington and Newark. The courthouse is located at 212 Washington Street in Newark, NJ. While there are many different types of family law cases in family law court, this article will focus on the Matrimonial Division judges who handle divorces and post-divorce actions.

Judge Nancy Sivilli is one of the oldest family law/divorce judges in Essex County. Judge Sivilli was a civil court judge before being transferred to the family division, where she handles a very heavy file. Judge Sivilli is a neutral judge who understands both sides of the story since she is married with children. While it is not critical for a family law judge to have children, I do believe that having children gives you a different perspective than someone who does not. Judge Sivilli delivered the speech at the early settlement panel to inform the litigants of their opportunity to resolve their issues prior to trial.

The next judge is the Honorable Judge Donald Kessler, who has also been on the Essex County Family Law Court for a long time. Judge Kessler is strict with the rules of the court, but he is a very kind and patient person. He does not tolerate shouting or other rebellious behavior in his court. He allows people to present their arguments one at a time, since a court should be like and not like the Maury Show that some judges allow. Judge Kessler is a family man who truly looks after the needs of the children in each case above all else.

Judge Michael Casale is the next judge to focus on matrimonial cases and he is a judge that I believe understands the equitable distribution rules more than most judges. In a recent case, he ruled that the party who invested premarital funds in the marital home must recoup that portion of the principal before dividing what is left. While other judges rule that once you invest money together, the money is “mixed” and the division of money is lost. This last argument to me makes no sense in a court of equity. I agree with Judge Casale’s methods and theory.

Whether you have a case before Justice Sivilli, Justice Casale or Justice Kessler, Justice Neil Jasey, Justice Russell or Justice Adobato, the divorce process in Essex can be very long due to the “war between Trenton and Essex” and the lack of assigned judges. to Essex, which has caused a backlog of family court trials. While there is a delay, the good news is that these judges are very wise and manage their calendars quite well.