Susan J. Steele at a glance
- Current role
- Criminal Judge
- Jurisdiction
- New Jersey · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Susan J. Steele
Criminal Judge · New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen Vicinage
Biography
Professional career
- Retired New Jersey Superior Court judge who, as of 2026, is serving on judicial recall in Bergen County’s Criminal Division and other special assignments
- Before her judicial role, Steele served as Chief of the Civil Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Newark from 2004 to 2011.
- Judge Susan J. Steele’s career spans federal prosecutorial work, state court judicial service, and now a recall role allowing her to continue serving in specialized criminal and parole-related duties despite retirement
Education
- Pace University — J.D.
Additional information
- Served until 2017, when she reached the state’s mandatory retirement age of 70
- Appointed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in June 2011 to the Vicinage 2 Superior Court in the Civil Division.
- One documented case from her tenure was a $150,000 default judgment against attorney Matthew Jeon for failing to respond to a bail bond company’s claim after a client skipped court.
- Steele denied multiple motions to vacate the judgment, though later judges found error in her refusal
- She is also a registered nurse
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Media Access And Electronic Devices
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.
Transmission, broadcasting, recording and/or photographing is prohibited at any proceeding closed by court order, statute, or Rule of Court.New Jersey Courts ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
New Jersey Courts
New Jersey Superior Court, Bergen Vicinage
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked July 26, 2026.
New Jersey Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View New Jersey Courts official judicial roster ↗