--- title: "William J. Martini | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-martini" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # William J. Martini U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey - State: New Jersey - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, D. New Jersey, 2002-2015 - In the Bergrin case, Martini ordered the attorney moved from solitary confinement to the general population in 2009, but was later dismissed from the trial in 2012 by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals due to concerns about impartiality - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of New Jersey, 1974-1977 - Began his legal career as an assistant in the Hudson County prosecutor's office in 1973 and then held the role of an assistant United States attorney for the District of New Jersey from 1974 to 1977 - Assistant prosecutor, Hudson County, NJ, 1973-1974 - Law clerk, Hon. Joseph P. Hanrahan, Superior Court of New Jersey, 1972-1973 ### Education - Villanova University in — B.A. (1968) - Rutgers University ### Additional information - He assumed senior status on February 10, 2015 - Nominated to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2002, to fill the seat vacated by John C. Lifland. - received his commission on November 19, 2002. - Commissioner, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, 1999-2002 - Private practice, Newark, NJ, 1997-2002 - U.S. representative from New Jersey, 1995-1997 - Chosen as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey's 8th congressional district, serving from 1995 to 1997 - Freeholder (elected), Passaic County, NJ, 1993-1995 - City councilman, Clifton, NJ, 1990-1994 - Private practice, New Jersey, 1977-1994 - He later entered private practice and became active in local politics, serving on the Clifton City Council in 1990 and the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1992. - He enforces detailed requirements for statements of material fact and citations to record evidence, and applies the Third Circuit’s frameworks for motions to compel arbitration and civil rights claims under Section 1983 - He then received his Juris Doctor from Rutgers School of Law—Newark in 1972, after which he clerked for Judge Joseph P. Hanrahan on the Superior Court of New Jersey from 1972 to 1973 - William John Martini was born on February 10, 1947, in Passaic, New Jersey. - Date of birth: 1947-01-01 - Known for strict adherence to procedural rules. - United States federal judge - Passaic High School - Judge Martini presided over several high-profile cases, including the corruption trial of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and the case of attorney Paul Bergrin, who faced charges of racketeering, witness tampering, and murder. - He requires compliance with Local Civil Rules for briefs, dispositive motions, and summary judgment procedures. - Birth place: Passaic, NJ ## 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 ### courtroom technology Scope: courtwide Courtwide presentation-related guidance applies to this judge. Evidence excerpt: Courtroom Technology . The District Court has acquired various audio/visual and automated evidence presentation equipment which is available to the Bar at no cost. Each courthouse in the District is equipped with these devices, which are fairly simple to operate. [Courtroom Technology | District of New Jersey | United States District Court](https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/courtroom-technology) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391656) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391656) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391656) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2069/william-j-martini/) - [Courtroom Technology | District of New Jersey | United States District Court](https://www.njd.uscourts.gov/courtroom-technology) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2069/william-j-martini/) - [Wikidata: William J. Martini](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1416536) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-martini", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-martini", "name": "William J. Martini | KnowJudges", "description": "William J. Martini, U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-08", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-martini#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-j-martini#judge", "name": "William J. 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Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.