By: Richard L. Smith
Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II will speak to the West Side High School senior class on Tuesday, May 2, from 10 a.m. to noon.
According to Essex County Prosecutor's Office Spokesman Robert Florida, Prosecutor Stephens will speak to the students about the importance of having a vision and following their dreams.
Spokesman Florida said the prosecutor will discuss his personal journey to 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 privileged 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.
According to Spokesman Florida, 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.
Prosecutor Stephens 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 as the Acting Essex County Prosecutor.
A lifelong New Jersey resident who attended East Orange public schools, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and a Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law.