Law Day Honors Judge McGovern, Newton Mock Trial Team

The Sussex County Bar Association (SCBA) announces that Law Day, the annual, national celebration of the Rule of Law in the United States, will be celebrated on Monday, May 1st, 7:00 p.m. at the historic Sussex County Courthouse. The event will feature live music and a catered reception for students, attorneys, and members of the public. This year’s honorees include the 2023 Law Day Awardee, the Honorable William J. McGovern, III, Judge of the Superior Court, and the mock trial teams from Newton High School and Kittatinny Regional High School. Local attorney Mark Hontz, the Law Day Chair for the Sussex County Bar Association, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Hontz will also deliver the keynote speech in accordance with the 2023 Law Day theme, ““Cornerstones of Democracy: Civics, Civility, & Collaboration.”

Appointed in 2004, McGovern is a judge on the Superior Court of New Jersey, with assignments in the Civil Division and Family Division in Sussex County. Previously, he presided in Morris County where he sat in both the Criminal and Civil Divisions. McGovern received a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross and his law degree from Southwestern University. He was an attorney at McGovern & Roseman from 1979 – 2004. Although he retired from the bench in 2022, McGovern was recalled to service in the judiciary in January 2023.

Current Sussex County Bar Association President Kelly Sherwood, Esquire, selected McGovern to receive the 2023 Law Day award. “The Honorable William J. McGovern, III, J.S.C. has been an institution in the Sussex County legal community since he began in private practice in 1979,” explains Sherwood. “Over the next 24 years, Judge McGovern was exposed to a wide variety of cases in Sussex County, from civil litigation, family law, municipal court (as a prosecutor and defense attorney), land use, and criminal law, just to name a few. He also volunteered his time to Project Self-Sufficiency, Legal Services, and other non-profit organizations. Judge McGovern was actively involved in the Sussex County Bar Association as a trustee and officer from 1988 through 1996, serving as President during the 1994-1995 term.

“As a judge, since 2004 on active duty until 2022, and now serving as a recall judge, Judge McGovern has sat in all divisions, Family, Civil, Special Civil, and Criminal, both in Morris County and Sussex County. He has served on several NJ Supreme Court Committees, and has presented at many New Jersey ICLE, Sussex County CLE, and Inns of Court CLE programs, as well as judiciary training programs. He has also been a mentor and friend to innumerable attorneys in Sussex County over the years. Judge McGovern is truly an individual who we look forward to celebrating for his lifetime of service to the law.”

“I am humbled to be considered and to receive this award. There are quite a few luminaries in the Sussex County legal community who have received this award and I am honored to be among them,” notes McGovern who credits his volunteer efforts with local non-profit organizations for helping to make him more aware of the issues faced by Sussex County residents. “The work that I did with non-profit organizations like Project Self-Sufficiency, Birth Haven, and the Center for Prevention & Counseling was helpful in my self-development. It deepened my understanding and awareness of the problems faced by many members of the community, whether it be poverty, severe economic crises, unwanted pregnancy, or loss of a job. The experience helped position me to be a better judge.”

The award-winning Newton High School Mock Trial team will be honored for its progress to the northern regional finals, beating teams from seven other Sussex County high schools along the way. The mock trial team from Kittatinny Regional High School was also recognized at the event for placing second in the competition. The Mock Trial Competition is sponsored annually by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation to provide high school students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills and careful fact analysis. During the event, each team must present a case to a judge, with students serving as witnesses and attorneys. Each team is judged based on their performance, with local attorneys volunteering as coaches.