was nominated for a judgeship of the United States District Court of New Jersey by President George W. Bush, was confirmed on November 14, 2002 and received his commission on November 19, 2002. Martini was one of nine judges appointed by President Bush to the District Court of New Jersey and was the first to be seated. He assumed senior status on February 10, 2015. The Sharpe James case Martini sentenced Sharpe James, former mayor of Newark, to 27 months in prison for corruption. State and federal prosecutors wanted the maximum allowable sentence of 15 to 20 years although federal guidelines would only allow a 5 to 12 year potential sentence. Martini said that James' years as a public servant played a role in his decision, but would not discuss the case further. U.S. Attorney Chris Christie announced that he would appeal Martini's sentence. Hassan v. City of New York In February 2014, Martini dismissed a federal lawsuit brought by eight New Jersey Muslims alleging they were unlawfully targeted for surveillance by the New York Police Department because of their religion. The suit accused the NYPD of spying on Muslims in mosques, restaurants and schools. In his decision. Martini wrote "The more likely explanation for the surveillance was to locate budding terrorist conspiracies." Baher Azmy, Legal Director at the Center for Constitutional Rights (which served as co-counsel in the case) responded to Judge Martini's ruling: "In addition to willfully ignoring the harm that our innocent clients suffered from the NYPD's illegal spying program, by upholding the NYPD's blunderbuss Muslim surveillance practices, the court's decision gives legal sanction to the targeted discrimination of Muslims anywhere and everywhere in this country, without limitation, for no other reason than their religion." The plaintiffs appealed the dismissal of their case, and numerous organizations filed amicus curiae briefs. The Court of Appeals reversed Martini's decision and remanded the case in October 2015. It was eventually settled in April 2018. Electoral history References External links Department of Justice resume Confirmation hearings on federal appointments : hearings before the Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Seventh Congress, first session. pt.5 (2002) 1947 births Living people County commissioners in New Jersey New Jersey lawyers Passaic High School alumni Politicians from Passaic, New Jersey Rutgers School of Law–Newark alumni Rutgers University alumni Villanova University alumni American people of Italian descent Judges of the United States District