NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—The office of Middlesex County Assignment Judge Travis Francis confirmed that Alberto Rivas will be the next Presiding Judge of the Superior Court’s Criminal Division.

Rivas, a resident of the Sixth Ward of Perth Amboy, has been a judge since  January 2010, having been appointed appointed by outgoing Governor John Corzine.

The role of the Presiding Judge is to supervise the business of the court, and Middlesex County has a lot of business to supervise.

The county prosecutor’s office says it handles some 6,000 criminal cases every year, mostly in the County Courthouse, located in downtown New Brunswick.

As we reported, after serving as a judge for 18 years, Judge Bradley Ferencz decided to retire, creating the opening, and a lot of speculation about who would take over the powerful position.

Prior to his appointment to the bench, Rivas was a partner at Lite Depalma Greenberg and Rivas, LLC, now Lite Depalma Greenberg, LLC, a Newark-based law firm, which boasts being the top firm in the area for handling complex class action litigation involving securities fraud, antitrust, and consumer fraud.

Rivas has also previously worked as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey and as the Law Director for the City of Perth Amboy.

Throughout his career, Rivas has served on multiple court committees, including the Third Circuit Court of Appeals Task Force on Equal Treatment in Courts, Race and Ethnicity Division.

Due to his reputation in the field, he has appeared many times on Court TV, now called Tru TV, to comment on high-profile cases, including the criminal trials of Michael Jackson and Jayson Williams.

He has also worked as an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University School of Law, where he earned his juris doctorate.

Before attending the Rutgers, Rivas earned his undergraduate degree from Princeton University.

On Robeprobe.com, a website where people can rate judges, Rivas has received reviews that extend to both ends of the spectrum.

Only time will tell how well Judge Rivas will do as the Presiding Judge of the Middlesex County Superior Court Criminal Division, but people have strong opinions about him, according to the site.

The comments posted about Judge Rivas on Robeprobe.com range from, “This is the worst judge ever,” to “One of the best judges in Middlesex County.”