NEWARK, NJ — Newark's newest municipal judge is also the city's latest immigrant success story.

Last week, officials swore in Emilia Perez as the newest judge on the city's municipal court during a ceremony at City Hall. Born in the Dominican Republic, the mother of two immigrated to Perth Amboy at age eight. She is a first-generation college student and grew up in a family of limited resources, city officials said. Perez has a 10-year history with Newark's municipal government. From 2008 to 2015, she served as an assistant corporation counsel, specializing in civil litigation and representing Newark in many court cases at state, appellate and federal levels. From 2008 to 2015, she was an assistant municipal prosecutor, reviewing investigations to and making recommendations on their prosecution. In October 2015, she became assistant section chief of civil litigation, making her second-in-command of the office.

Perez holds a bachelor's degree in administration of justice and sociology from Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She earned her juris doctorate from Seton Hall Law School in 2007. She is admitted to practice in New Jersey, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey Bar and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third District. She is a member of the Essex County Bar, National Hispanic Bar and New Jersey State Bar Associations, and serves on several community-oriented programs, including as co-chair of the HBA-NJ Disaster Relief Committee. "We are privileged to have a lawyer with the ability, experience, and wisdom of Emilia Perez on our municipal bench," Mayor Ras Baraka said. "She will do honor to our municipal bench and ensure that everyone who comes before her receives equal justice. I congratulate her on this well-deserved appointment."

Perez said that she was "thankful, humbled and honored" by her new job. "I will serve the great City of Newark, which has exposed me to so many opportunities, with the highest degree of integrity, fairness and distinction," Perez said.