title: Alfred James Lechner Jr.
text: # Alfred James Lechner Jr.
  
  Alfred James Lechner Jr. (born 1948) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.
  
  ## Education and career
  
  Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Lechner was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University and a Juris Doctor from Notre Dame Law School where he was an editor of the Law Review. He was in private practice in New York City, and in Elizabeth, serving as a special counsel to the Elizabeth, New Jersey Department of Law. He was a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court from 1984 to 1986 and a United States District Judge (DNJ) from 1986 to 2001
  
  ## Federal judicial service
  
  On April 8, 1986, Lechner was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey vacated by Judge Frederick Bernard Lacey. Lechner was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 6, 1986, and received his commission on June 9, 1986. Lechner served in that capacity until October 1, 2001, when he resigned.
  
  ## Post judicial service
  
  Lechner was hired in November 2015 as the President and CEO of the Cause of Action Institute, which is engaged in activities similar to those of the more well-known Judicial Watch. Lechner was in the news due to Cause of Action's Freedom on Information Act litigation brought with respect to the July, 2016 shooting of police in Dallas, Texas.
  
  