Steven Burkett, 65, Camden Municipal Court judge

As Camden Municipal Court's chief judge, Steven P. Burkett sought to balance empathy and forgiveness - values he held as a devout member of Cherry Hill's Congregation M'kor Shalom - with meting out punishment to domestic abusers and drunken drivers.

In court, friends and family said, he tried to teach life lessons to such defendants, even while handing down punishment.

"He felt he needed to make a connection," said Judge Burkett's older brother, Bob.

The absence of Judge Burkett in the courtroom this week, following his sudden death Sunday, had those who knew him remembering his careful approach, as well as the decade he spent working to make the court more efficient.

Family members suspect that Judge Burkett, 65, suffered a heart attack at his Cherry Hill home. He was listening to music and sitting in a chair at the time, Bob Burkett said.

Cases assigned to Judge Burkett this week are being handled by the court's three remaining judges. It's unclear whether the city will hire a replacement for Judge Burkett. (The city added a judge last year, increasing the total at the time to four, to deal with a spike in caseload.)

Judge Burkett was appointed in 2005 to lead Camden's municipal court, one of the state's busiest. He worked long hours to erase the backlog and updated the court's management system, so police officers could obtain temporary restraining orders for victims of domestic violence more quickly, officials said.

"He had his heart in Camden, especially in the court system," said Assemblyman Angel Fuentes (D., Camden), who as Camden City Council president voted to approve Judge Burkett to the position.

"Judge Burkett loved the law," said Judge Robert T. Zane, who oversees municipal courts in Camden County. "He enjoyed being a judge and knew the law exceptionally well, and treated each litigant fairly and respectfully."

Friends and family tied Judge Burkett's impartiality to his religious background. He was heavily involved at M'kor Shalom, where he taught Jewish values and ethics to high school seniors.

He was the synagogue's president between 1997 and 2000, when Rabbi Fred J. Neulander was accused of hiring a hit man to kill his wife.

Bob Burkett said his brother helped keep the congregation together when it was split on Neulander's guilt, until the rabbi was convicted.

"That was part of the power of his presence," Bob Burkett said of his brother.

In court, Judge Burkett sometimes also elicited emotion from defendants.

In one case, he asked a man accused of hitting a woman to close his eyes, a family friend who witnessed the hearing recently told the Burketts. Then, knowing the defendant had a young son, Judge Burkett told the man to imagine an older version of his son committing the same crime.

"It was like a bolt of lighting hitting the person," Bob Burkett said.

Steven Burkett grew up on Long Island and attended law school at Temple University. He practiced elder law before becoming a judge.

Besides his brother, Judge Burkett is survived by his wife, Beth; daughters Allison Cook and Gillian; and stepchildren Sean Glenn, Megan Glenn, and Kyle Glenn.

A funeral service was set for 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at Congregation M'kor Shalom, 850 Evesham Rd., Cherry Hill, with interment to follow at Locustwood Memorial Park, in Cherry Hill.

Contributions may be made to Boys and Girls Club of Camden County, Development Office, 1709 Park Blvd., Camden, N.J. 08103.

856-779-3829@borenmc