He also served as the general counsel to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and was a receiver for Bloomfield College.
Zazzali was nominated by Governor Christine Todd Whitman for the position of justice to the NJ Supreme Court on May 18, 2000, and was confirmed on May 25, 2000.
In September 2006, with Poritz nearing mandatory retirement age, Governor Jon Corzine nominated Zazzali for promotion to chief justice.
He left the court upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 on June 17, 2007, and was replaced by then-Attorney General Stuart Rabner.
Zazzali is married to Eileen Fitzsimmons and has five children: Mara; James, Jr., Robert; Courtney; and Kevin.