Honorable Kevin M. Shanahan, A.J.S.C. (Ret.) retired from the bench in June 2025 as the Assignment Judge of Vicinage XIII, a position to which he had been appointed by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. Over the course of his judicial career, he served in nearly every division of the Superior Court, guiding the courts of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties through some of their most complex and challenging matters.

He began his service in the Family Division, where he presided over divorces, custody and support matters, domestic violence proceedings, contempt actions, and termination of parental rights. He later became Presiding Judge of the Special Civil Part, managing landlord/tenant and small claims dockets, and went on to serve in the Civil Division. There, he resolved thousands of cases through settlement, jury trials, and bench trials, including malpractice suits, contract and employment disputes, discrimination claims, and personal injury cases ranging from minor injuries to catastrophic losses.

Judge Shanahan also served in the Criminal Division, where he presided over both jury and non-jury trials and acted as Somerset County’s Drug Court judge. As Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division, he oversaw the implementation of criminal justice reform within the vicinage. He later returned to the Civil Division as Presiding Judge, where, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he ensured continuity of justice despite the suspension of jury trials. In this role, he resolved thousands of matters—among them class actions, malpractice suits, employment disputes, contract matters, and catastrophic injury cases—through settlement and bench trials.

As Assignment Judge, he and Judge Robert Ballard shouldered responsibility for virtually all civil, family, and criminal matters in the vicinage during a period of unprecedented judicial vacancies. Their docket spanned prerogative writ actions, probate cases, landlord/tenant and special civil matters, complex case management issues, and high-profile family and criminal disputes. Following his retirement, Judge Shanahan joined Sidebar Solutions.

Before joining the bench, Judge Shanahan built a distinguished 34-year career as a trial lawyer. He tried more than 300 jury trials to conclusion in 16 of New Jersey’s 21 counties, and his practice spanned a wide range of civil and commercial litigation. He also served as a mediator and arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association, as a designated civil arbitrator in multiple counties, and as an educator in trial advocacy at several law schools and through the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. His legal career began as law secretary to the Honorable George Y. Schoch, A.J.S.C., followed by service as an Assistant Prosecutor in Mercer County under Philip S. Carchman.

Judge Shanahan graduated from St. Joseph’s High School in Metuchen, St. Joseph’s College, and Rutgers University School of Law–Camden, where he earned his J.D. cum laude.