Karen M Williams

Judge Karen McGlashan Williams is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, confirmed on November 1, 2021. Prior to becoming a District Judge, Judge Williams was a Magistrate Judge for the District of New Jersey from May 1, 2009 until her confirmation. Judge Williams sits in Camden, New Jersey. Since 2015, Judge Williams has co-presided over the District of New Jersey’s Reentry Court (ReNew Camden) established for select individuals on post-conviction supervision.

Before her appointment as a Magistrate Judge, Judge Williams was the managing partner of the Atlantic City office of Jasinski & Williams, P.C., a boutique law firm representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Judge Williams began her law career with the law firm, then known as Jasinski & Bisceglie, as a summer associate in 1991, after spending several years in human resource management for various health care institutions. While with the firm, in addition to litigating in federal and state courts, Judge Williams developed and conducted employee training workshops on diversity, workplace harassment, wage and hour compliance, and employee discharge and discipline; conducted workplace harassment investigations; and negotiated collective bargaining agreements in both the public and private sector.

Judge Williams served as the district chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee from 2008 to 2009 and was a member from 2002-2009. Judge Williams also served as the panel chair of the New Jersey Supreme Court Office of Attorney Ethics Fee Arbitration Committee in 2006 and a member of the committee from 2002-2006.

In addition to her judicial duties, Judge Williams currently serves as an adjunct professor at Rowan University in the Department of Law and Justice. Judge Williams has also served as an adjunct professor at the Rutgers School of Law-Camden, teaching e-Discovery and pretrial litigation.

Judge Williams received her Bachelor of Science from The Pennsylvania State University in 1985 and earned her law degree from Temple University School of Law in 1992.