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History
and Design of the
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex |
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The story of
the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex began
in 1976 when the Treasury Department's Division
of Building and Construction commissioned
an architect to determine the existing and
projected office space requirements of all
State departments in the Trenton area. This
study recommended that an early priority
for the State should be the construction
of a new Justice building. The recommendation
was based on projections by the Judiciary
and the Department of Law and Public Safety
that they would be greatly expanding their
operations through 1985. |
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The planning
of the actual structure began in 1977. At
that time, the decision was made to include
the offices of the Public Advocate in the
new building. Construction began in February
of 1978. Over two-hundred subcontractors had
been involved in the construction process. |
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The size of
the Justice Complex is impressive--over one
million square feet of space. The Justice
Complex is described as three buildings in
one. As the diagram below shows, the
eight story office building forms the two
legs of a "V" around the Court cube. Indoor
bridges connect the offices on the fourth,
fifth, seventh and eighth floors. The two
main entrances to the building from the street
lead into the lobby/atrium which is open through
ten stories to a skylight on the roof. |
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Naming the Building |
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The Justice Complex has been named in honor
of Richard J. Hughes, the only man in the
history of New Jersey to have served the state
as both Governor and Chief Justice. After
establishing a law office in Trenton in 1932,
Mr. Hughes went on to become assistant United
States Attorney for New Jersey, a position
he filled for six years. Following that, he
was named Mercer County judge and in 1952,
was raised to the Superior Court. While serving
on the bench, Mr. Hughes deepened his interest
in juvenile problems and became recognized
as an authority on probation systems and the
treatment of youthful offenders. |
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List
of past NJ Governors |
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In 1961, Mr.
Hughes was elected governor of New Jersey
and four years later, he was re-elected with
a record plurality. After leaving the State
House in 1970, Mr. Hughes re-entered private
practice and continued to work for prison
reform. Following the death of Chief Justice
Garven, Governor William Cahill nominated
Mr. Hughes as Chief Justice. He was directly
confirmed by the Senate, sworn in on December
18, 1973, and served until 1980. |
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After his long
and distinguished career dedicated to serving
the people of New Jersey, it is fitting that
the building that was designed "to symbolize
the strength and permanence of justice in
the State of New Jersey" should be named the
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex.
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