Bill Baroni

Bill Baroni
Born	William Edward Baroni Jr. December 10, 1971
Birthplace	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Attorney, adjunct law professor, author, criminal justice consultant
Known for	Former New Jersey State Senator and Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; central figure in the "Bridgegate" case whose conviction was reversed unanimously by the U.S. Supreme Court in Kelly v. United States (2020)
Education	B.A., George Washington University; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law

William Edward "Bill" Baroni Jr. (born December 10, 1971) is an American attorney, author, and former Republican politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly and the New Jersey State Senate before being appointed Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He was a central figure in the 2013 "Bridgegate" George Washington Bridge lane-realignment case; the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the underlying convictions in Kelly v. United States in 2020. He is an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University School of Law and an advocate on criminal justice issues.

Early life and education

Baroni was born on December 10, 1971, in Jacksonville, Florida, and was adopted and raised in Hamilton Township, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history from George Washington University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law. Baroni began his involvement in politics early, working on the 1988 congressional campaign of his hometown U.S. representative, Christopher H. Smith, and in 2001 serving as general counsel for Bob Franks's gubernatorial campaign. He also practiced law in the private sector, working as an associate at DeCotiis, FitzPatrick & Cole, LLP, and later at Blank Rome, LLP, and serving of counsel at Fornaro Francioso, LLC.

Political career

Baroni was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2003, representing the 14th legislative district. In 2007 he was elected to the New Jersey State Senate for the same district, where he served until 2010. As a legislator he was known for reaching across party lines on a range of policy issues.

In 2010, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie named Baroni to serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, one of the largest transportation agencies in the United States. He held the post from 2010 until December 2013.

The Bridgegate case

Baroni became a central figure in the 2013 "Bridgegate" controversy, which arose from the realignment of local-access toll lanes reserved for Fort Lee, New Jersey, commuters at the George Washington Bridge. He was charged in connection with the episode and initially convicted, but the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed the convictions in Kelly v. United States in 2020. Writing for the Court, Justice Elena Kagan held that the federal wire fraud and federal-program fraud statutes require the government to prove that obtaining money or property was an object of the scheme; because the lane realignment was an exercise of regulatory power rather than an effort to obtain money or property, the Court concluded that the convictions could not stand. Following the reversal, Baroni returned to the practice of law in New Jersey.

Advocacy and teaching

Baroni is an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University School of Law, where he teaches courses including education law, prison law, and election law. He has become an advocate for people entering or leaving the prison system and their families. His advocacy work includes co-founding the Prison Visitation Fund and serving as a board member of the criminal justice reform organization Interrogating Justice. He also works as a self-employed attorney and criminal justice consultant.

Baroni has spoken publicly about incarceration, reentry, and criminal justice reform at conferences and academic events. He was a speaker at the White Collar Conference, where he moderated the 2024 "Out of Isolation" panel at the conference's inaugural event.

Writing

In 2012, Baroni co-authored, with writer Damon DiMarco, Fat Kid Got Fit: And So Can You!, a memoir chronicling his personal weight-loss journey from roughly 320 pounds and his approach to sustainable lifestyle change rather than fad diets or surgery.