Madeline Cox Arleo

On November 21, 2014, President Barack Obama appointed Madeline Cox Arleo to serve as a United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, where she currently serves in Newark, NJ. Prior to that, she served as a federal Magistrate Judge for fourteen years. She also serves as Presiding Judge of the District’s reentry court known as “ ReNew” which provides intensive supervision and support to individuals released from federal incarceration, with the goal of reducing recidivism and helping her participants rebuild their lives.

Judge Arleo is a life-long New Jerseyan. She was born in Jersey City. She received her bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Rutgers College, Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, NJ, and her master’s degree in Politics and American Government from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. While an undergrad at Rutgers, she worked as a bartender at the College Avenue campus pub, known then as the Rusty Screw Tavern. She graduated summa cum laude from Seton Hall University School of Law, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. She served as law clerk from 1989-90 to the Honorable Marie L. Garibaldi, a Hudson County native, and first female Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Prior to her appointment to the Bench, Judge Arleo was a litigation partner at Tompkins, McGuire, Wachenfeld & Barry in Newark, NJ. Before that, she was associated with the law firm of Clapp & Eisenberg, in Newark, NJ. While in practice, she served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall Law School and as Secretary to the District V-A Ethics Committee.

Presently, Judge Arleo is a Fellow of the American Bar Association, an Advisor to the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and to the Association of the Federal Bar for the District of New Jersey and honorary gala chair for the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association. She serves on the Paralegal Studies Advisory Board at Montclair State University. She served on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, St. Dominic Academy, Jersey City, from 2006-2012 and presently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of its sister school, Mount St. Dominic Academy in Caldwell, New Jersey. She is a member of Notre Dame Parish in North Caldwell, where she served for many years on its finance council. She is a frequent speaker for continuing education seminars for various bar associations in New Jersey.

Judge Arleo lives in Caldwell, New Jersey with her husband, Frank Arleo, a partner at Arleo and Donohue, West Orange, New Jersey. She has two adult children, Alexandra, 23 and Peter, 20. Judge Arleo is an alum of the Eagleton Fellowship Program. She is also a Rutgers basketball fan.