Esther Salas

Esther Salas is a federal judge for the District of New Jersey. She was nominated to the court by President Barack Obama. Previously, Salas served as a federal magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey from November 2006 to June 2011.^[1][2]

Education

Judge Salas earned her B.A. degree in 1991 from Rutgers University and her J.D. degree in 1994 from the Rutgers University School of Law at Newark.^[3]

Professional career

Esther Salas began her career as a clerk for New Jersey Superior Court Judge Eugene Codey. Salas was an associate at Garces & Grabler PC from 1995 to 1997. From 1997 to 2006, Salas worked as an Assistant Public Defender for the District of New Jersey.^[3][4]

Judicial career

District of New Jersey

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
Name: Esther Salas
Court: District of New Jersey
Progress
Confirmed 195 days after nomination.
Nominated: 12/1/2010
ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire: Questionnaire
Hearing: 3/2/2011
QFRs: QFRs (Hover over QFRs to read more)
Reported: 4/7/2011
Confirmed: 6/14/2011
Returned: 12/22/2010

On December 1, 2010, Salas was nominated by Barack Obama to fill the seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey vacated by Judge Katharine Hayden.^[5] President Obama had this to say about the nominations made on December 1, 2010, "These outstanding candidates have shown an unwavering commitment to justice throughout their careers. They all have long and distinguished records of service, and I am pleased to nominate them to continue serving the American people on the District Court bench."^[4]

Salas' nomination was returned to the President at the end of the 111th Congress. President Obama resubmitted the nomination on January 5, 2011.

Salas was rated Unanimously Well Qualified by the American Bar Association. She had a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 2, 2011, and you can find her Committee Questionnaire available here and her Questions for the Record available here.^[6]

Salas' nomination was confirmed by the Senate by a voice vote on June 14, 2011.^[6]

District of New Jersey, Magistrate

From November 2006 until her elevation to an Article III post, Salas served as a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.^[2]

Noteworthy events

Armed attack at family home (2020)

On July 19, 2020, a gunman dressed as a delivery driver entered the home of Judge Salas and her family in North Brunswick, New Jersey and attacked her husband and son.^[7] The attacker shot Salas' husband, Mark Anderl, and their son, Daniel Anderl. Daniel Anderl died in the shooting and Mark Anderl was left in critical condition. Salas was at her home at the time of the shooting but was not injured. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Marshals, and local law enforcement authorities opened investigations into the incident.^[8] Media outlets reported that law enforcement authorities were not aware of any threats against Salas at the time of the incident.^[8][9]

On July 20, the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey released a statement announcing that the FBI identified attorney Roy Den Hollander as the primary suspect in the investigation. The FBI also said that Den Hollander was dead. Law enforcement officials said that he appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to media reports.^[10][11]

See also

• United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

External links

• The Hispanic Bar Association, "The Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey Congratulates the Honorable Esther Salas...," October 8, 2009
• Judge Esther Salas Biography from Federal Judicial Center.

Footnotes