Judge Heidi Willis Currier Named Chief Appellate Division Judge

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner today designated Judge Heidi Willis Currier as the chief judge of the Appellate Division, effective Sept. 1.

Judge Currier, who has served as the Appellate Division's deputy presiding judge for administration since 2023, will replace Judge Thomas Sumners upon his retirement. Appellate Division Judge Hany Mawla has been designated to fill Judge Currier's position as deputy presiding judge for administration.

New Jersey's Appellate Division issues approximately 2,000 opinions and decides 7,000 motions each year. Its judges hear appeals from decisions of the trial courts, the Tax Court, and state administrative agencies.

"Judge Currier and Judge Mawla are gifted, fair-minded, and diligent jurists. I am confident they will capably lead New Jersey's Appellate Division, which is widely regarded as one of the finest intermediate appellate courts in the nation," Chief Justice Rabner said.

Judge Currier has served in the Appellate Division since August 2015. She has been the Presiding Judge of Part B since September 2022. Nominated to the bench by Gov. James McGreevey in January 2004, she sat in both the civil and family divisions in the Middlesex Vicinage for more than a decade.

Judge Currier is the Chair of the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Education and a member of the Supreme Court Committees on Artificial Intelligence and the Courts and the Advisory Committee on Extrajudicial Activities.

A graduate of Smith College and of Rutgers School of Law-Camden, Judge Currier began her legal career serving as a law clerk to Superior Court Judge Sidney H. Reiss. From 1987 to 2004 she was an associate and later a partner at Connell, Foley LLP. While an attorney, Judge Currier served on the Supreme Court Committee on Character. She was a certified civil trial attorney.

"I would like to thank Chief Justice Rabner for entrusting me with this position," Judge Currier said. "The Appellate Division is respected throughout the country for its excellence, which I have observed firsthand working with an outstanding group of judges, administrators, and staff the last 12 years. I am committed to maintaining the integrity and quality of this court's work and continuing to provide the public with the high level of service it expects and routinely receives from the New Jersey Judiciary."

Judge Mawla was appointed to the Appellate Division in 2017 and has served as presiding judge for Part C since 2024. Appointed to the bench by Gov. Jon Corzine in January 2010, he sat in the civil division and served as the presiding judge of the family division in the Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren vicinage.

He has served as the chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement Committee (formerly the Supreme Court Committee on Minority Concerns) since 2013 and the vice-chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Access and Fairness since 2015.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Mawla was a partner at the law firm of Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP. He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and his law degree from the Seton Hall University School of Law.

"I am grateful for the confidence Chief Justice Rabner has placed in me throughout my judicial career. The opportunity to continue my public service in this role is humbling. Having known Judge Currier for over two decades, I am honored to serve as her deputy as she leads the Appellate Division," Judge Mawla said.

Judge Sumners' retirement takes effect August 31.

"It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as a judge for the past 18 years," Judge Sumners said. "I want to thank Chief Justice Rabner for the trust he placed in me, and our two administrative directors, Judge Glenn Grant and Judge Michael Blee, for their leadership as well. Moreover, I am indebted to my fellow judges in the Appellate Division who have allowed me to serve as their chief for the last three years."