Brick's Ducey Sworn In As Judge

BRICK, NJ — When John G. Ducey took his oath as a judge of the Superior Court in Ocean County on Thursday and donned his black robe in the county's historic Courtroom 1, he said it brought his life full circle.

The former mayor of Brick Township was honored as he took the oath by a courtroom packed not only with family and friends, but an extensive turnout of Ocean County politicians.

Ducey, a Democrat, was welcomed to the bench by an audience that included most of the judges currently serving in the county's Superior Court and the county's constitutional officers: Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, clerk Scott Colabella and surrogate Jeffrey Moran.

The political community in attendance represented both parties, including county Democratic Party chair Wyatt Earp, along with state Sen. Vin Gopal and Sen. Nicholas Scutari offering remarks, and most of the Brick Township Council and new mayor Lisa Crate in the audience. The Republicans in attendance included Ocean County Commissioners Joseph Vicari, Virginia Haines, Gary Quinn and Bobbi Jo Crea, along with state Senators Christopher Connors, Robert Singer and James Holzapfel, Assemblyman John Catalano from Brick.

The swearing-in offered a glimpse beyond what most people have seen during Ducey's time as a councilman and mayor in Brick, where he served for 12 years between the two positions, as friends and family shared stories about the new judge. Ducey's brother-in-law, Brian White, who was sworn to the bench in 2021, told of how the two men met in the 1990s while they were serving as law clerks in Ocean County.

Ducey was sworn in by retired Judge James D. Clyne, the judge he was a law clerk for, a moment he and White both called a moment of coming full circle, as they were part of a class of law clerks took their oath as lawyers in Courtroom 1 on Dec. 21, 1995. White noted there was a third law clerk from the group who now sits on the Ocean County bench: Ocean County Assignment Judge Francis Hodgson.

White, who teased Ducey about being "the analog attorney" because Ducey keeps notes about his schedule in a notebook he carries with him as opposed to logging things into a smartphone, praised his brother-in-law and friend for being "the nicest guy in every room."

"He has absolutely no ego," White said, who shared that Ducey met his wife, Deirdre, because the law clerks all hung out together.

Ducey's path as a lawyer and judge also was strongly influenced by his mother, who worked in the surrogate's office after Ducey's father, John Jr., died when he was in high school. Ducey's mother told her son about the adoptions she saw through her work; as an attorney, he handled dozens of adoptions.

Ducey has been assigned to family court, according to the order issued by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

"He is one of the most decent people out there," Gopal said during his remarks. "He treated everyone with civility."

Brick Township Business Administrator Joanne Bergin said it was "a leap of faith" when Ducey hired her to become the township's business administrator, and said that leap turned into "the best job I've ever had."

Ducey "never hid from a crisis," Bergin said. "He is a true example of diplomacy and grace," who always expressed confidence in the township's staff, "which helped them feel confident in themselves."

"He'd say 'You got this,' or 'We've got this' whenever there were challenges," Bergin said. "We all shined under him and because of him."

Kevin Starkey, Brick's township attorney who emceed the ceremony, noted that one of the qualities that stood out to him was that Ducey always put his family first. The notebook where Ducey would keep track of his week's events in the community also had dates blocked off for the activities of his son, Jack.

Ducey highlighted his love of his family, thanking Deidre for her support of his career all the way from law clerk to opening his own law firm to his swearing-in, and thanked his mother for the sacrifices she made to put him and his sister through school after their father died.

He had a special message for his son, Jack, who was five weeks old when Ducey was sworn in to serve on the Brick Township Council.

"You've never known anything but me serving as mayor," he said to his son, noting that there were a lot of events and moments they enjoyed as a result of Ducey's position as mayor. "This is going to be a big change for both of us, but we'll get through this together."