Seton Hall Law School Professor Edward Hartnett was appointed on Oct. 16 by Chief Justice John Roberts to serve a five-year term as the reporter to the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, known as the “Standing Committee.” His appointment takes effect Feb. 2026.
The Standing Committee oversees recommendations from five advisory committees responsible for the Federal Rules of Appellate, Bankruptcy, Civil and Criminal Procedure and Evidence.
The committees are each responsible for their own body of law, Hartnett said.
The Appellate committee updates the rules of the appellate procedure “which concern how the federal appellate courts across the country handle their appeals,” Hartnett said. The Civil Procedure committee makes amendments to federal rules of civil procedure “to govern the civil cases pending throughout the country in federal district courts,” he added.
The Bankruptcy Procedure and Evidence committees handle rules for bankruptcy courts and federal trials, respectively, Hartnett said.
As Reporter, Hartnett said he will “do legal research, write memos, put together the agenda for [the] advisory committee meeting, and prepare the output of that to the standing committee.”
“The reporter is the law professor who is sort of like an advisor to the committee,” he said.
Hartnett said he is “excited and proud” to take on the role.
“I think of the rule-making process as an important part of what makes the federal courts work,” he said. “Having a hand in trying to assist people who are trying to make it better across the range of federal rules is an exciting place to be.”
Hartnett traces his interest in constitutional and public law to his undergraduate years, crediting his first-year civil procedure teacher, John Sexton, as his biggest influence.
Hartnett received his B.A. from Harvard and his professional doctorate from New York University (NYU). He later clerked for several federal judges, including Judge Frederick B. Lacey and Judge Robert E. Cowen of the U.S.District Court for the District of New Jersey, and Chief Judge John J. Gibbons of the U.S.Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Hartnett also served as a federal defender “representing people accused of federal crimes,” he said.
A member of SHU Law’s faculty since 1992, Hartnett said he teaches about “civil procedure, constitutional law and federal courts.” He said his teaching aligns closely with the work he will be doing as Reporter.
“Those are things that…are connected to how adjudication happens in federal courts, and the rule making process,” Hartnett said.
Dean Ronald Weich of SHU Law School called Hartnett’s appointment “very prestigious" and a point of pride for the school.
“To have a professor be appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States, a position like this, shows that we are a top tier law school, with excellent faculty,” Weich said. “And it’s a recognition of the caliber of the scholarship at the law school.”
Weich described Hartnett as a rigorous and organized professor who is “very concerned about long-term consequences of decision-making.”
“He’s someone who finds consensus, and in this role as a reporter for the Supreme Court’s standing committee, he will be asked to find consensus, among the different members of those very high powered committees,” he said.
Weich, who was appointed dean in July 2024, said Hartnett made him feel welcome during his transition.
“He has been one of the most gracious and gentle colleagues in my year at school,” Weich said. “I quickly came to rely on him…and he is really beloved by his colleagues, by his students, and by the alumni community.”
Weich said he sees Hartnett as a symbol of what the law school stands for.
“As I settle into my role here after a year, I see people like Professor Hartnett as emblematic of the fine law school that I joined,” he said.
Michela DiLorenzo is a writer for The Setonian’s News section. She can be reached at michela.dilorenzo@student.shu.edu.
