Appointed By: Gov. James J. Florio
Hon. Yolanda Ciccone (Ret.) was the assignment judge for the Vicinage 13 Superior Court comprising Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties in New Jersey. She was appointed to the bench by former Governor Jim Florio in 1991 and reappointed for tenure in 1998. Ciccone retired from the bench after being appointed to a five-year term as prosecutor of Middlesex County by Governor Phil Murphy in 2020.
Over the course of her judicial career, she held assignments in the Civil Division (1991 to 1992 and 1996 to 2006), Family Division (1992 to 1993), and Criminal Division (1993 to 1995) in Middlesex County. In addition, she served as presiding judge of the Middlesex County Civil Division from 2005 to 2006.
Then, in 2006, Ciccone was named the assignment judge for Vicinage 13. During her tenure there, she also held temporary assignments in the Somerset County Civil, Criminal, and General Equity Divisions.
She received a B.A. from Rutgers University. Ciccone went on to complete a J.D. at Seton Hall Law School.
After graduating from law school, she began her legal career as a law clerk to the Hon. John E. Bachman and the Hon. Theodore Appleby with the New Jersey Superior Court in 1980.
The following year, Ciccone became an assistant prosecutor with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Over the course of the next ten years, she served as chief of the Juvenile Division and was tasked with advising the Narcotics and Gambling Task Force as well as overseeing the Hate Crimes Task Force. In addition, she negotiated memorandums of understanding with twenty-three of the Middlesex County school districts. Ciccone remained a prosecutor there until her appointment to the bench.
She was a former chair of the Standards for Court Interpreters Committee and participated in the Juror Questioning Model Program.
At the time of her appointment as the county’s prosecutor in 2020, Ciccone held the distinction of being the first woman to hold the position.
She and her husband, Michael Guarino, a New York City attorney, reside in Metuchen, New Jersey.
| Current Appointment Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren County Superior Court | Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren County Superior Court |
| Previous Appointment Middlesex County Superior Court (NJ) | Middlesex County Superior Court (NJ) |
|
Education
J.D., Seton Hall Law School B.A., Rutgers University |
J.D., Seton Hall Law School B.A., Rutgers University |
| Current Court: | NJ - Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren County Superior Court |
|---|---|
| Previous Court: | NJ - Middlesex County Superior Court (NJ) |
| Role | Employer | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Prosecutor | Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office | Middlesex County, New Jersey |
| Assignment Judge | Somerset/Hunterdon/Warren County Superior Court (Vicinage 13) | None |
| Judge | Middlesex County Superior Court (Vicinage 8) | Middlesex County, New Jersey |
| Assistant Prosecutor | Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office | Middlesex County, New Jersey |
| Law Clerk | New Jersey Superior Court with the Hon. John E. Bachman and the Hon. Theodore Appleby | None |
New Jersey Courts: Judicial Biographical Information
Ballotpedia: Yolanda Ciccone
New Jersey Courts: Yolanda Ciccone, Presiding Judge of Middlesex Civil Division, Named Assignment Judge of Hunterdon/Somerset/Warren
Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office: Yolanda Ciccone
TAP into New Brunswick: Ciccone Sworn In as New Middlesex County Prosecutor
NJ: Meet the New Middlesex Prosecutor, a Former Judge and the First Woman to Hold the Job
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