Esteemed Sussex judge who was a 'pillar' in the legal community dies at 79

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Nicholas Peter Conforti, a legal giant in Sussex County courtrooms for over five decades whose legacy and esteemed reputation spread far and wide, died March 17 in Florida at the age of 79.

Conforti, who lived in Sparta with his wife Cecelia, retired from the criminal division on Nov. 9, 2013 at the age of 70, the mandatory retirement age written into the state constitution in 1947. Instead of a well-earned rest, the stalwart judge retook the bench and actively worked on recall, continuing to preside over cases just eight months shy of his 80th birthday. Retired judges on recall, or assigned temporarily for special hearings and projects to allow permanent judges to focus on their primary responsibilities, cannot serve beyond the age of 80.

Conforti died in Naples, Florida, where the couple had been vacationing the last three months, although the veteran judge had continued working in a virtual capacity, his wife told the New Jersey Herald after his passing.

He and his wife raised six children and he was a doting grandfather to 13 grandchildren, whom he showed unwavering support and would never miss a game, performance or event in which they were part of, family wrote in his obituary.

Conforti was 39 when he was appointed to the Superior Court bench by Gov. Thomas Kean and confirmed by the state Senate in March 1983. Conforti spent a majority of his years in the criminal court in Sussex County, although he did spend time in the family and law division of the Morris and Sussex vicinage.

Conforti, who grew up in Elizabeth and Roselle Park in Union County, moved to Sussex County in 1971 and founded a law firm in Sussex Borough. He went on to serve as a municipal court judge in the borough and other towns including Byram and Sparta for 10 years before he was appointed to the Superior Court division.

He obtained his law degree from Rutgers School of Law in Newark in 1968 after he graduated magna cum laude in 1965 with a degree in political science from St. Vincent College in Pennsylvania and graduated from the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada at Reno, where he also served as a faculty advisor.

Accolades aside, Conforti proved his flexibility as a magistrate judge, and his sense of balance, when he laced up a pair of roller skates and joined a wedding party in September 1981, marrying a couple at the Hampton Roller Rink, according to an article from the Feb. 15, 1983 edition of the New Jersey Herald.

N. Peter Conforti: A compassionate judge with a wry humor

Conforti was touted as an exemplary judge, friend and mentor to dozens of judges and former law clerks in part due to his astounding patience and endless compassion, said state Superior Court Judge Stuart Minkowitz, the assignment judge for the Morris and Sussex vicinage.

His sensitivity in the courtroom was two-fold: He made constant efforts to address not only the impact crimes had on victims but also recognized the need for rehabilitation for defendants charged with crimes through his work with alternative programs such as the recovery court and the Intensive Supervision Program, or ISP, said Glenn A. Grant, administrative director of the courts.

Gregory Mueller, Sussex County's first assistant prosecutor, echoed similar thoughts, stating that the veteran judge had an "innate sense of fairness and genuine concern for the people that appeared in his courtroom."

Mueller, who practiced law for 25 years before Conforti as prosecutor and defense attorney, believes "The Judge," as he was well-known in the community, was "one of the best jurists in the state."

While a consummate professional in the courtroom and a judge in the "highest sense," Grant said, Conforti's wry sense of humor was always on display, whether out to dinner with friends or with a quick courtroom quip that "at times, made it difficult to keep a straight face," added Mueller.

He was a "pillar" in the legal community who will be fondly remembered for his integrity, patience and his sense of humor, said Kelly Sherwood, who spoke on behalf of the Sussex County Bar Association where she serves as president.

Sparta attorney George Daggett, who has been a local attorney for 55 years, said Conforti had the ability to keep it professional in the courtroom but he proved a good friend outside of it. The men and their spouses once vacationed together in 1985 at the Daggetts' house in Cape Cod, where they enjoyed good laughs and wine coolers, Daggett recalled.

Daggett would often text his friend and the two would share jokes, although Daggett said he would write 30 words compared to Conforti's one- or two-word response that albeit brief, captured the situation "perfectly," Daggett laughed when he spoke to the Herald this week.

He was a trusted mentor who developed strong relationships with his many law clerks including two Sussex County assistant prosecutors, Jerome Neidhardt and Laura Nazzaro.

Nazzaro fondly remembered her time assisting Conforti as a post-graduate clerk, stating that it was "impossible" for her to put into words how much he will be missed and how much he meant to her and the legal community.

"He was not only my mentor, but I considered him family," she said, adding that "no one will be able to fill his shoes."

Neidhardt said his time serving as judicial clerk for Conforti between 2002 and 2003 was "one of the best years of my life."

"I learned a lot from him and got to know him a little," Neidhardt said. "He was not only very smart and wise, but he was very kind with an incredible memory who would remember many things about prior interactions with people, and he always had a kind word for us based on those prior shared experiences."

State Superior Court Judge William J. McGovern III, who retired last year and is working on recall in the county's civil division, said he has forever been connected to Conforti through his late father, William J. McGovern, who had a prolific career as a county attorney and who had a close bond with Conforti.

McGovern, who died in 2000, and Conforti "tangled" with each other in court, but meshed well socially, McGovern III said. After his father's passing, McGovern III said he had a "living memory" of his father through Conforti, who he also practiced law in front of. In fact, McGovern said, the first case he tried solo as a defense attorney in municipal court was before Conforti, where he gained a lot of valuable experience.

Aside from his personal connection to Conforti, McGovern III remembered the "smart and intelligent" man as someone who not only was a big family man who adored his wife and family, but was fond of the New York Yankees and anything Irish or Italian. He was a true 'Renaissance man' who was well-versed, loved good wine, good people, good food and good times and was always reading a book, McGovern III recalled.

Conforti was a well-traveled man and he and his wife enjoyed visiting family in Ireland, England and Italy as well as the beaches in Florida and their second home in Spring Lake, his obituary states.

But it was the jurist's 40-year legacy on the bench, where his acuity and compassion shined, along with his quick-wit and intellect outside the courtroom that many have reflected on in their own words, whether on social media, in passing or in the courthouse, where staff in the Sussex County Judicial Center have placed a painted photo of Conforti on a easel in the main entrance.

"He was a real force to reckon with and a very bright guy with a great, great reputation among judges and among attorneys," said McGovern III.

A visitation was held Monday at Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Sparta, where the Conforti's were members. A funeral mass will be held Tuesday morning from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the church. Burial is private. Donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in lieu of flowers.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: NJ Superior Court Judge dies: Nicholas Peter Conforti was 79