National Vice Commander, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America
Judge Bozonelis is the National Vice Commander and Executive Committee member of the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America. He has served as Vice Chairman of the Order’s Legal Committee and Chairman of the Order’s Patriarchal Properties and Minority Concerns Committee, which assists the Ecumenical Patriarchate on legal issues for the return of confiscated properties and developing a legal status and standing for the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey. He has served as Secretary and Executive Officer of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Council of America and serves on the Archdiocese Executive Committee as Chair of the Administration Committee.
He received his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and his J.D, Cum Laude, from George Washington University. He was nominated by the Governor of New Jersey and confirmed by the State Senate as a judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey in 1990. He served as a trial judge in all divisions of the state judiciary until 2011. He was the presiding trial judge in the Criminal Court, as well as the presiding trial judge in each of the Equity and Family Divisions. In 2003, he was appointed as the assignment (chief) judge for Northern New Jersey Counties, where he oversaw the administration of the state courts and 56 municipal courts. In that capacity, Judge Bozonelis also served as a chairman and member of the State Judicial Council, which supervises the overall state judiciary.
He has served as a Judicial Master and instructor for Inns of Court, Institutes for Continuing Legal Education, and Judicial College retreats. Prior to his appointment as a state judge, he served as Chairman of a State District Ethics Committee, a Law Clerk of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C., and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He also served as of counsel to the law firm of Graham Curtin in New Jersey, providing services in mediation, arbitration and special master matters. He was appointed to the New Jersey Governor’s Judicial Advisory Panel and now serves as a trustee of The Nicholas J.and Anna K. Bouras Foundation.
He is married to Helen (Koutras) Bozonelis, an editor and author. They have two adult children, Justin and Lia.
