Camden Judge Admits Making 'Inappropriate' Comments, Denies Others

CAMDEN, NJ — Michael J. Kassel, a Superior Court Judge for New Jersey based in Camden, has responded to the New Jersey State Advisory Committee on Judicial Misconduct's compliant regarding his multiple misunderstandings of the law and lack of partiality.

The committee's complaint stemmed from when Kassel, who normally hears civil cases according to the New Jersey Courts website, was temporarily reassigned to the family division from April 10, 2021, to June 15, 2021.

Kassel allegedly mentioned multiple times in the courtroom he had not practiced family law in nearly 2 decades, according to the committee's complaint. The committee also claimed that Kassel "lacked familiarity with [defendant's] cases and was ignorant of the applicable law."

The judge responded to this allegation that he regretted those comments and admitted they were "inappropriate." He added he was "respectful and courteous" to those in the courtroom and said he "would do his best."

In another part of the complaint, Kassel is alleged to have said a "guy off the street ... more experienced than me with this stuff."

The judge responded to this particular allegation by providing more of the conversation and thus, more context in which the comment was made. He said comment was made to "recommend mediation to the self-represented litigants, and that the professional mediator had a lot more experience than" him. The judge added that he "specifically told the litigants, 'You don't want a stranger deciding these personal issues. You're adults, you're the parents.'"

In still another part of the complaint, Kassel was said to have asked the parties to submit shorter despositions, according to the complaint.

Kassel responded that his rationale for not setting aside an entire day for one case was so he did not have to "tell five other oases, some of them that have been waiting months to be heard, to come back in another couple of months. That's not fair to them!'

The next step regarding the complaint and the judge's response is a formal hearing, according to the Advisory Committee On Judicial Conduct.

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