New Family Courthouse In Newark Honors ‘Trailblazing’ NJ Senator

NEWARK, NJ — A new family courthouse in Newark was recently dedicated in the name of a “trailblazing” late state senator.

Earlier this month, officials gathered for a ceremony at the new Essex County Wynona Lipman Family Courthouse at 350 University Avenue, which is located across the street from the Sheila Oliver Division of Family Assistance and Benefits Headquarters.

Named in honor of the late Wynona Lipman – a former New Jersey state senator who was known for championing issues involving children, women and domestic violence – the 267,000-square-foot facility replaces the court facility located in the Wilentz Courts Building, county officials said.

According to a news release from the county, there are 22 courtrooms in the building, which includes 19 courtrooms for family court and three children-in-court courtrooms. There also are five hearing rooms, four mediation rooms and 18 interview rooms, waiting rooms with child play areas for child support, space for a domestic violence unit and non-dissolution, and offices for the prosecutor’s office, interpreters and Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA).

The Family Courts were located in the Wilentz Building at 212 Washington Street in Newark (Essex County moved the Family Courts into the building in the 1990s).

“The county sold its share in the Wilentz Building because the new owners have plans to redevelop the site for different uses,” officials said.

The owners have agreed to pay off the remaining debt that Essex County has on the building, officials added.

Comito Associates from Newark received a professional services contract for $4.6 million to design the building. Dobco Inc. from Wayne was awarded a publicly bid contract for $172.6 million to construct the building. Financing for the Family Courts Building was provided through the Essex County Improvement Authority.

Construction began in 2023.

“Families and children coming to Family Court can be facing some of the most difficult and challenging times of their lives,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

“The spaces we created in this building will make families feel safe and comfortable and are where they will be treated with dignity and respect,” DiVincenzo said.

TRAILBLAZER IN NJ POLITICS

An eight-foot bronze statue of Lipman stands in the lobby of the building.

A plaque attached to the statue offers some historical background about the late lawmaker:

“If you really want to stand out from the crowd and be recognized by society, then it is the quality of contribution which you make to others that counts. Evelyn Wynona Moore Lipman was the first African American woman to serve as a NJ State Senator. Her election was a milestone event that shattered the glass ceiling and paved the way for women – especially women of color – to view themselves as public servants. Senator Lipman gained the reputation as a ‘Steel Magnolia’ because of her tenacity to get legislation passed while maintaining her poise, grace and elegance. During her tenure, she had over 145 bills signed into law, with many of them focusing on improving the lives and interests of women, children, families and minorities. Notable were the Prevention of Domestic Violence Acts of 1981 and 1991, which at the time were the toughest domestic violence laws in the country, as well as legislation supporting family leave, pay equity and child support enforcement, which serve as the foundation for current laws. Her 27 years in the State Senate made her the most tenured member at the time of her death in 1999. Dedicating this facility as the ‘Essex County Wynona Lipman Family Courthouse’ is a testament to her long-lasting impact and legacy as an advocate for women and children’s rights.”

Born in Georgia, Wynona Lipman didn’t begin her political career until she relocated to Montclair, county officials said.

Lipman served as a Democratic Committee member and town chairwoman before being elected as an Essex County freeholder in 1968 and becoming president of the board in 1971. Instead of seeking re-election to county office, Lipman successfully ran for the state senate. Lipman represented the 29th Legislative District for 27 years before she passed away in office in 1999.

“My mother loved serving her constituents, and I remember her getting phone calls at all hours of the day,” recalled the late legislator’s daughter, Karen Lipman.

“She loved Essex County, New Jersey and Newark,” Lipman said.

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