Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi

by Nicolleta Perna

Image courtesy of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Media Services, Trenton, NJ

Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi (1934-2016) a born and raised native of New Jersey and most notably at the age of 47 Garibaldi was the first female to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court and the 18th woman to serve on the Supreme Court overall.

Before her career as a Supreme Court Justice began Marie L. Garibaldi had received her law degree from Columbia University in 1959 and in 1963 earned her Master’s in Tax Law from New York University. From there she had a prestigious career of differing government jobs from working for I.R.S to serving as a New Jersey municipal judge. Just as well, Garibaldi is honored as being the first woman to serve as head of the New Jersey State Bar Association. 

Despite being the only woman on the New Jersey Supreme Court when she was elected in 1982, Marie L. Garibaldi paved the way for a more diverse Supreme Court; by the time she retired in 2000 there were 3 other women who were also serving. During her 18 year stint Garibaldi had accumulated a myriad of feats under her belt such as: having a hand in giving the first definition of what kind of conduct was to be considered sexual harassment in the workplace during a 1993 New Jersey court case, and a 1990 case ruling where she deemed it in violation of anti-discriminatory laws to exclude women from private clubs. Marie L. Garibaldi retired from the New Jersey Supreme Court at the age of 55. 

Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi died in New Jersey at the age of 81 on January 15, 2016.

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References:

“Associate Justice Marie L. Garibaldi.” Associate Justice Marie L. Garibaldi | NJ Courts. Accessed September 18, 2024. https://www.njcourts.gov/public/museum/meet-the-justices/associate-justice-marie-l-garibaldi.

“First Woman Joins Jersey’s Top Court.” New York Times, November 18, 1982. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1982/11/18/issue.html. 

Roberts, Sam. “Marie Garibaldi, First Woman on New Jersey Supreme Court, Dies at 81.” New York Times , January 20, 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/20/nyregion/marie-garibaldi-first-woman-on-new-jersey-supreme-court-dies-at-81.html?searchResultPosition=1.

Suggested Citation:

Perna, Nicolleta. (2024, Dec). Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi. New Jersey Women’s History, Rowan University Libraries Digital Scholarship Center. https://njwomenshistory.org/biographies/honorable-marie-l-garibaldi/