Defender Services history

Wainwright in 1963 did this really start to change.

The NJOPD provides attorneys for indigent criminal defendants in both the adult and juvenile levels of Superior Court, as the result of expanded jurisdiction called for in late 1967.

The first Public Defender was Peter Murray, whose untimely death in 1969 led to the appointment of Stanley C. Van Ness by Gov.

By the 1980’s, Defender discontinued the production of chemicals and focused on providing workforce solutions to include: janitorial, security, staffing, landscaping, material handling, courier services and more.

In 1982, Joseph H. Rodriguez, a prominent trial attorney and former chairman of the State Commission on Investigation and the Board of Higher Education, succeeded Mr.

In 1985 Amy R. Piro Chambers served as Acting Public Defender between Judge Rodriguez' departure and Professor Slocum's appointment.

Rutgers Professor Alfred A. Slocum became Public Advocate/Public Defender in 1986, and he championed the causes of the voiceless underclass and the indigent defendant.

In 1999, Judge Rodriguez received both the "Medal of Honor Award" from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation and the "William J. Brennan Jr.

Torres passed away while in office in November 2000.