---
title: "Francis Hodgson Jr.. | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/francis-hodgson-jr-nj-ocean"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# Francis Hodgson Jr..

New Jersey Superior Court, Ocean Vicinage · Assignment Judge

## Profile

- Court: New Jersey Superior Court, Ocean Vicinage
- State: New Jersey
- Role: Assignment 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)

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## Biography

### Professional career

- Francis R. Hodgson, Jr. serves as Presiding Judge of the General Equity Division since 2015 and, as of February 1, 2023, became Assignment Judge for the Ocean Vicinage, the top judicial position in Ocean County
- Francis R. Hodgson, Jr. is the Presiding Judge of the General Equity Division and Assignment Judge for the Ocean Vicinage in New Jersey’s Superior Court, appointed in 2007 and now leading the Ocean County court system
- Before joining the judiciary, Hodgson worked for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office from 1997, rising to supervising assignment prosecutor in the Trial Section.
- He also held the role of a law clerk to Civil Presiding Judge Frank R. Buczynski and practiced law privately for a year
- Judge Hodgson’s work reflects a career spanning prosecution, private practice, and judicial leadership, with a focus on upholding the integrity and efficiency of the Ocean County court system

### Education



### Additional information

- Leadership: Elected Assignment Judge in 2023, succeeding Marlene Lynch Ford, who retired after over 24 years on the bench
- Promotion: Named Presiding Judge of the General Equity Division in 2015
- He handled a wide range of criminal cases, including violent crimes, narcotics offenses, and weapons charges.
- In this role, he oversees the Ocean County Superior Court’s operations, including family, criminal, and equity matters, and presides over significant cases in the jurisdiction



## 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.