Newark – Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II will speak to the senior class at West Side High School on Tuesday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to noon. He will talk about the importance of having a vision and following your dreams and discuss his personal journey becoming Essex County’s chief law enforcement officer.
“I treasure the opportunity to speak to today’s youth, who will become tomorrow’s leaders,” said Acting Prosecutor Stephens. “I hope to remind these young men and women that they are in a privileged position to utilize education as a springboard for the rest of their lives.”
Acting Prosecutor Stephens began his legal career as the Eastern Region Attorney for Unisys Corporation. After that, he assumed the role of Corporation Counsel for the City of East Orange. He began his judicial career in 1994, when he was appointed a judge of the East Orange Municipal Court. In 2004, he was appointed to the bench of the City of Orange Township Municipal Court. He was sworn in as Essex County Surrogate in 2012, as the only elected judge in the county. On Sept. 4, 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy appointed Stephens to serve as the Acting Essex County Prosecutor.
A lifelong New Jersey resident who attended East Orange public schools, he earned his Bachelor of Art’s degree from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. — Robert Florida
