Monmouth County gets new Superior Court judge as NJ fills vacancies

Jenna Calderón, Asbury Park Press
·2 min read

FREEHOLD - Thomas Comer, former trial attorney at Lomurro Law Firm in Freehold, was confirmed by the state Senate as the newest Superior Court judge for Monmouth County on Monday. He was sworn in the following day.

Comer was admitted to practice law in the state in 1988 and was named a certified civil trial attorney by the state Supreme Court in 2005, according to the firm’s website. He has specialized in a range of cases, including medical malpractice, complex products liability, serious personal injuries and other negligence, and is also a leader in the New Jersey Association for Justice.

Comer is the only judge from Monmouth County who will take the bench in this round of confirmations, according to Maryann Spoto, the spokesperson for New Jersey courts.

Spoto also said Monmouth County still has one vacancy and Ocean County has five.

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Richard Lomurro, Comer’s partner at Lomurro Law, said having a trial attorney as part of the judiciary will help address the backlog of cases that’s been lingering since the pandemic hit.

“To have a judicial vacancy filled by someone who's capable of immediately trying cases is really a wonderful thing for the people of Monmouth County,” Lomurro said.

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Lomurro said Comer also was supported by both sides of the political aisle, so it was easy for him to be considered quickly.

“(Comer) represents not just what we strive to be, which is excellent in the practice of law, but also [has] in mind the community to which he serves,” Lomourro said of his law partner.

Lomurro, an officer with the Monmouth Bar Association, said there’s been a strong collaborative effort by the county- and state-level bar associations to advocate to fill the vacancies. He’s confident in Comer’s ability to continue the effort to help those who need to have their day in court.

“It’s really a feather in our cap,” he said. “If we could get more Toms, we’d all be in a better place probably.”

Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before coming to the Press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati Magazine. Contact her at 330-858-5874; jcalderon@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ high court judge vacancy in Monmouth County filled