---
title: "Bruce J. Kaplan | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Bruce J. Kaplan

New Jersey Superior Court, Middlesex Vicinage · Civil Presiding Judge

## Profile

- Court: New Jersey Superior Court, Middlesex Vicinage
- State: New Jersey
- Role: Civil Presiding Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-26

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Before you appear

- Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed.
- Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance.
- Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding.

## Courtroom Rules

### media access and electronic devices

Scope: statewide

New Jersey statewide Supreme Court guidelines govern media access and electronic devices in courtrooms; recording, photography, broadcasting, and transmission require compliance with the published approval process and courtroom restrictions.

Evidence excerpt: Transmission, broadcasting, recording and/or photographing is prohibited at any proceeding closed by court order, statute, or Rule of Court.

[New Jersey Courts](https://www.njcourts.gov/sites/default/files/notices/2024/07/n240723a.pdf)
Source checked: 2026-07-26


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.njcourts.gov/public/directories/judges/all)
- [Official roster](https://www.njcourts.gov/public/directories/judges/all)
- [New Jersey Courts official judicial roster](https://www.njcourts.gov/public/directories/judges/all)
- [New Jersey Courts](https://www.njcourts.gov/sites/default/files/notices/2024/07/n240723a.pdf)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex",
      "name": "Bruce J. Kaplan | KnowJudges",
      "description": "Bruce J. Kaplan, New Jersey Superior Court, Middlesex Vicinage. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex#judge",
      "name": "Bruce J. Kaplan",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex",
      "jobTitle": "Civil Presiding Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "New Jersey Superior Court, Middlesex Vicinage"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.njcourts.gov/public/directories/judges/all"
      ]
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "New Jersey",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/new-jersey"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "Bruce J. Kaplan",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bruce-j-kaplan-nj-middlesex"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```

## Biography

### Professional career

- Despite these concerns, he was confirmed and has held the role of a Superior Court Judge since January 2014
- Effective May 30, 2025, he was designated as the Civil Presiding Judge for Middlesex County, a role in which he oversees civil case management and court administration.
- Joined the New Jersey Superior Court by Governor Chris Christie in 2014, after a long career in public service and private practice.
- Prior to his judgeship, he held the role of Middlesex County Prosecutor from 2002 to 2013, and as counsel to the Director of Criminal Justice in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office in 2013.
- Kaplan also held the position of Middlesex County Counsel beginning in 1996 and practiced law as a partner at Gluck, Kelso & Kaplan and later Kelso & Kaplan from 1990 to 2002
- As Civil Presiding Judge of Middlesex County, he plays a key role in managing complex civil litigation and ensuring the efficient operation of the court system, while also overseeing high-profile multicounty cases involving sensitive legal matters

### Education

- B.A. from SUNY Albany in 1980 and a J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 1983

### Additional information

- He regularly presides over cases filed in Middlesex County, including recent filings in June and July 2026
- Kaplan’s appointment to the bench was narrowly approved by the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee in 2014, amid scrutiny over his handling of a racial slur incident involving an assistant prosecutor and questions about oversight of the county sheriff’s office.
- Seasoned legal professional with extensive experience in prosecution, civil and family law, and county administration.
- Judge Kaplan has held assignments in both the Family Division (Essex, Mercer, and Middlesex Counties) and the Civil Division in Middlesex County.



## Published courtroom rules

### Shared court rules

- [New Jersey Courts](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c9ef48d54ca091cafd206659) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim.  Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.njcourts.gov/sites/default/files/notices/2024/07/n240723a.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.