Rutgers Law School Announces 2026 Commencement Speakers James Maida ’90 and Judge Jamel Semper ’07
Gaming industry leader James R. Maida ’90 and U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper ’07 will serve as the 2026 Rutgers Law School Commencement speakers. Maida, Founder, President & CEO of Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), will deliver the Commencement address in Camden. Judge Semper, U.S. District Court of New Jersey, will speak at Commencement in Newark.
Camden's celebration takes place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion. In Newark, Commencement takes place at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 22, at the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts (NJPAC). Both ceremonies will be livestreamed.
James Maida began his career in public service with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, where he certified gaming equipment and developed the regulatory foundation that would shape his professional life. While attending Rutgers Law School in 1989, he co-founded the first independent gaming device testing company serving regulators in the United States.
Over the past four decades, Mr. Maida has grown GLI from a pioneering start-up into a global organization with 31 locations and more than 1,600 employees worldwide. Today, GLI consults on and tests land-based, online, and lottery games and systems for more than 46 state governments, 250 tribal gaming commissions across 710 jurisdictions, and over 1,000 gaming and technology suppliers. GLI is also one of only two firms that specialize in the testing and certification of state voting systems. It is the world’s largest and leading independent testing and certification company for gambling and lottery systems.
An internationally recognized authority in gaming law and technology, Mr. Maida is a frequent speaker at legal, regulatory, and technology conferences around the world. He has also testified as an expert witness in significant gaming matters at both the Federal and State levels, including before the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, the National Indian Gaming Commission, and numerous state legislatures.
Through The James and Sharon Maida Foundation – which supports global initiatives in education, healthcare, and environmental stewardship - the Maidas established the Rutgers Maida Public Interest Fellowship Program in 2015. Since its inception, The Maida Fellowship has supported hundreds of Rutgers Law students in providing more than 150,000 hours of pro bono legal services, expanding access to justice for thousands of individuals. The Maidas have also funded Rutgers Law scholarships and bar study stipends to support the next generation of legal professionals.
Judge Jamel Semper has served on the U.S. District Court of New Jersey since his presidential appointment on December 1, 2023. Prior to serving on the Court, Judge Semper was an Assistant United States Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey (USAO DNJ), where he served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. While serving in the USAO DNJ, Judge Semper supervised New Jersey’s Violent Crime Initiative, the largest task force of state and federal investigators and prosecutors responsible for investigating and prosecuting major drug trafficking organizations and violent criminal organizations throughout New Jersey. Under Judge Semper’s leadership, the Violent Crime Initiative reduced shootings and homicides in New Jersey to historic lows from 2020 to 2023.
From 2008 to 2018, Judge Semper served as an assistant prosecutor in the Essex and Union County Prosecutors’ Offices. While serving in the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Semper served as the director of the Special Prosecutions Unit, which was responsible for leading high-profile violent offender prosecutions. In 2018, Judge Semper successfully prosecuted New Jersey’s first domestic terrorism homicide. Judge Semper also handled several high-profile homicides while serving as a member of the Essex County Homicide Task Force.
Before serving as a prosecutor, Judge Semper clerked for former presiding criminal Judge Harold Fullilove Sr. on the Essex County Superior Court of New Jersey. Judge Semper received his B.A. in history from Hampton University in 2003 and graduated with honors before earning his J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 2007.