Judge In Camden Knew ‘Very Little’ About Certain Laws: Complaint

CAMDEN, NJ — Michael J. Kassel, a Superior Court Judge for New Jersey who is based in Camden, was accused by The New Jersey State Advisory Committee on Judicial Misconduct of not thoroughly understanding the law, a complaint filed by the committee stated.

The complaint, filed April 19, 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.

On 16 occasions during that 9-week period in the family division, Kassel allegedly made comments "that he lacked familiarity with their case, was ignorant of the applicable law and incapable of adjudicating family court matters," as a result of not hearing cases in the family division for nearly 2 decades, Maureen G. Baumann, the committee’s disciplinary counsel, wrote in the complaint.

Kassel also reportedly said that he would hear matters if attorneys would "walk [him] through their issues step by step and treat [him] like I'm a ninth grader in high school," according to the complaint.

In addition, Kassel allegedly said that you could get a guy off the street that's more experienced than me," the complaint stated.

These actions, along with several others outlined in the complaint, conflict with rules that require judges to consistently act in a way that "promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality" of the judicial branch of government, according to the complaint.

Judges are also expected to "disqualify themselves in proceedings in which their impartiality or the appearance of their impartiality might reasonably be questioned,” the complaint stated.

Kassel was first “admitted to the practice of law” in 1982, according to the complaint. He has 20 days from when he was served with the complaint to respond to the accusation, the New Jersey Courts website stated. After Kessel's response is received, the committee will hold a formal hearing on the accusations, according to the website.

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