So I guess Steve Sweeney really is the governor of New Jersey now

I always thought our State Constitution gave the governor the sole ability to nominate Justices to the State Supreme Court. Chris Christie did that, a year ago he nominated Anne Patterson to replace John Wallace whose initial 7 year term had expired.

Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said "no." Sweeney refused to hold confirmation hearings for Ms. Patterson. He wanted Wallace to be re-appointed, because Wallace is a reliable liberal vote. And he vowed to block Patterson's nomination until Wallace's mandatory retirement date of March 2012.

At the time Chris Christie said he wouldn't kowtow to bullying:

Yesterday, Chris Christie gave away the constitutional authority.

The State Supreme Court embodies all that is wrong with New Jersey politics. They rule from on high, issuing decrees in direct contravention of the will of the people's elected representatives. The Court has imposed an income tax, ordered specific school funding levels, chosen locations on a map where so-called "affordable housing" must be constructed, rewritten election law to favor Democratic Party candidates (cough, The Torricelli Switcheroo, cough), and mandated that the taxpayers incur debt in order to finance utopian social justice schemes. These are all rightfully the constitutional purview of our state legislature. But that hasn't stopped activist judges from usurping that authority.

Now the State Senate President has successfully staged a coup d'etat and annointed himself as appointer of judicial nominees.

And people wonder why New Jersey government is so dysfunctional. Chris Christie was supposed to fix that. He's failed.

Posted at 09:42 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   Comments | Perm Link |
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