Meanwhile, critics are blasting Governor Murphy and the Democratic-led legislature for the record high number of judicial vacancies, which stands at 60 today but fluctuates due to retirements.

At a recent Senate Budget Committee hearing in Trenton, leaders of the State Bar Association called the pace at which judges are being confirmed to the bench.

Appalling court functions around routine civil cases remain on pause in six counties because there are no judges to hear them.

Senior writer and projects editor Colleen O'Dea has been following this story and joins me now.

Colleen, so some pretty tough words for lawmakers and the governor this week.

Get us up to speed on where this process stands right now, because it's been tough to follow, honestly.

So, right now there are 20 judge nominees awaiting confirmation by the Senate.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which is the first step for them, doesn't meet until May 18.

If all 20 were to be approved by the committee, then we could expect possibly by the end of the month that all might be confirmed by the Senate.

But right now we have 60 openings, 60 vacancies.

We're expecting another 22 by the end of the year, which means we're not even keeping pace with that at the moment.

All right.

But Senator Sarlo says, listen, we're doing this process as fast as we can.

The governor's office maintains the same about the speed with which they're vetting nominees.

So how did we get into this position?

So we got into this position because the the first term of the Murphy administration really was there were just a small number of nominations and judges, new judges anyway, confirmed when Murphy took office, there were nine vacancies on the bench and they shot up right away because in his first year, for instance, there were only two new judges who were put on the bench, one of whom was put on by Christie it was kind of the end of the Christie term.

So when you're lagging behind like that, you know, we had the number of vacancies shoot up to more than 70 at one point.

Now, during this this new term of the governor, there have been more nominations.

He has nominated 81 people since January of 2022.

And so they are moving forward.

But when the number of judges retiring continues to kind of be be the same number as they're getting confirmed.

They're just never making up any ground.

Well you have to wonder what are the real time consequences for folks who are waiting for a trial?

Oh, my goodness.

We know that that in two parts of the state I think it's multiple counties in the north and the south.

Civil trials have essentially been halted.

People can't get a divorce.

And that certainly has major consequences on the parents as well as if there are any children involved.

It's just you know, I couldn't imagine being in that position and not being able to get a divorce.

Simply, you're told, because there aren't enough judges to hear cases.

At this rate, Colleen.

Is the state going to be able to make up the deficit?

You know, so the the administrator of the courts Glenn Grant, had told Senate, Senate and Assembly budget committees, that it's going to take at least three years if the administration can pick up the pace and and boost the number of nominations and the Senate can confirm more people.

But if, again, if they can't kind of nominate and confirm more people then are retiring, then who knows how long it'll take?

Yeah.

Well, the State Bar Association President Jeralyn Lawrence said it probably best get in a room, throw away the key, using Murphy's words, of course, about the Rutgers University stalemate with the unions.

Colleen O'Dea, thank you so much.

Thank you Bri.