Judges Diana E. Montes and Dion J. Williams Take Oaths As Municipal Court Judges
Newark, NJ – July 27, 2011 – Mayor Cory A. Booker, the Newark Municipal Council, Essex County Superior Court Judge Claude M. Coleman, Business Administrator Julien X. Neals, Esq., Corporation Counsel Anna Pereira and other dignitaries held an installation ceremony on July 26 to swear in Municipal Court Judges Diana E. Montes and Dion J. Williams to new terms on the Newark Municipal Court. The ceremony was held in the Municipal Council Chamber, at City Hall, located at 920 Broad Street. Municipal Court Chief Judge Richard E.A. Nunes served as Master of Ceremonies.
“These two judges have combined great wisdom with great leadership skills,” Mayor Booker said. “They have energized the Municipal Court and brought the power of justice to our residents. We are proud to have them on New Jersey’s largest and busiest municipal court.”
“The thousands of people who have matters in our Municipal Court expect and deserve fairness, courtesy and respect from our system. These two judges define those ideals and put them into action every day,” said Business Administrator Neals, who has served in the capacity of Chief Municipal Court Judge and Corporation Counsel for the City of Newark.
“The Honorable Diana E. Montes and Dion J. Williams are both jurists of the finest Order and they currently serve as Lead Judges at the Newark Municipal Court. I look forward to the continued service of these committed, knowledgeable and compassionate jurists because they have served the Court and all the citizens that come before it well,” Judge Nunes said.
“I am honored to serve the people of the great City of Newark as a judge in the busiest court in the State of New Jersey. I am thankful to Mayor Cory Booker and the Newark Municipal Council for my reappointment. I am blessed to have a job where my two passions come together: public service and the law,” said Judge Montes.
“It is an honor and a privilege to be re-appointed as a Municipal Court Judge of Newark and am thankful for the opportunity to give back to the community. To be a judge is the highest form of public office. We must ensure that justice is timely and accessible, and, above all else, transparent. I look forward to working with my colleagues and the court, as we strive to make the Newark Municipal Court a model of excellence,” said Judge Williams.
Judge Montes has been a judge for the Newark Municipal Court for 18 years. She was appointed to the bench on March 25, 1993. During her tenure, she has presided over every court in the system including: driving while intoxicated (DWI), traffic, criminal, domestic violence, housing, central judicial processing (CJP), truancy and violation of probation.
Judge Montes has been Lead Judge for DWI, including the development of DWI case processing and procedures manual. She is currently Lead Judge for the Criminal Division. Judge Montes is directly involved with case management, customer service and backlog reduction. She interacts daily with members of the private bar, prosecutors, public defense attorneys, probation representatives and numerous law enforcement agencies. Judge Montes has performed countless wedding ceremonies and civil unions for Newark residents.
Prior to Judge Montes’ appointment as a judge, she was Assistant Deputy Public Defender for five years, from 1988-1993. As Assistant Deputy Public Defender she was responsible for the operation of the largest CJP court in the State of New Jersey. She implemented the first joint venture, pro-bono clinical program between Rutgers University and Seton Hall School of Law. During this time she supervised criminal law matters, including administrative and training responsibilities, trial work, and daily courtroom appearances.
Judge Montes initiated her legal career as law clerk for Judge Harry Hazelwood, Jr. of the Essex County Superior Court. As law clerk she prepared civil and criminal motions; assisted in the preparation of legal opinions and municipal appeals; and mediated and rendered decisions in civil settlement conferences.
Judge Montes obtained her secondary education at Santa Rosa High School in her native Puerto Rico. She came to Philadelphia to pursue her education at Haverford College where she was the first woman to become a Padin Scholar. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Judge Montes earned her Juris Doctorate at Rutgers-Newark School of Law, where she was a Berger Henry Educational Foundation Scholar.
Judge Montes is a member of the Supreme Court Committee on Minority Concerns and the Municipal Court Legal Research Committee. She is also a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey, The National Hispanic Bar Association, The Essex County Bar Association, The New Jersey State Bar Association, The Essex County Municipal Court Judges Association, The Essex County Women Lawyers Association, The National Association of Women Judges, The American Judges Association and the Anne E. Thompson American Inn of Court.
Judge Williams was appointed to the Newark Municipal Court in May 2006. From July 2006 to September 2006, Judge Williams served as the Acting Chief Judge for the Newark Municipal Court. As of January 1, 2007, Judge Williams has been assigned to traffic court, handling approximately 150 to 200 cases per day.
Additionally, Judge Williams is assigned to handle the Court’s DWI cases. His responsibilities include arraigning defendants, managing the discovery process, accepting guilty pleas and presiding over trials involving complicated legal issues. DWI cases are very serious and are closely monitored by the presiding judge of the county.
Prior to Judge Williams’ appointment to the bench, he was an Assistant Municipal Public Defender for the City of Newark from 1995 to 2003. Judge Williams represented indigent defendants in more than 400 bench trials before the Newark Municipal Court. In October 2003, Judge Williams was appointed to serve as the Chief Municipal Public Defender for the City of Newark. He supervised six staff attorneys and 12 per diem attorneys.
Judge Williams was born, raised, and educated in the City of Newark. He attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he received a Bachelors Degree in English. He also completed the credit requirements equivalent to a Bachelors Degree in the Administration of Justice. Judge Williams earned his Juris Doctorate at Rutgers Law School (Newark).
The Newark Municipal Court is the largest such court in the State of New Jersey, handling more than 500,000 cases each year. It rules on traffic, housing code enforcement, sanitation, quality-of-life, and minor criminal offenses. Under the Booker administration, the Municipal Court has moved to enhance customer service, improve its technology, and create new initiatives like a Community Court to take a holistic approach to addressing causes behind crime in the City of Newark.
For more information on any City of Newark municipal program or policy, contact the Non-Emergency Call Center at (973) 733-4311.
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written by Thom G, April 07, 2012
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