In 2002 the citizens of New Jersey were preparing to choose a US Senator for a six year term in the November election. The candidates were selected, via the primary system, to be Democrat incumbent Robert Torricelli and Republican Douglas Forrester. As the election wound toward November the Democrats found that they had several ethics issues with Mr. Torricelli and his reelection was far from assured. Mr. Torricelli, following President Truman’s dictum “if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen”, proceeded to, on September 30 withdraw his candidacy. The Republicans began their victory dance as Mr. Forrester was now unopposed and the Democrats would be prevented from replacing Mr. Torricelli because of the time constraints of the New Jersey Constitution.
Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth County) today issued praise to the Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines and Fees for their comprehensive report which, after a 16 month investigation, “revealed a number of significant concerns where aggressive reform is needed. Many of those issues identified by the Committee undermine both the administration of justice and the independence of the Municipal Courts.”
“In law enforcement and judicial systems, profit is the mortal enemy of justice,” Senator O’Scanlon said. “We must take real steps towards reforming municipal court and ticketing procedures. Policing for profit is an unacceptable practice that tarnishes the reputation of all our upstanding police officers and often results in devastating consequences for petty infractions.”
“Municipal Courts should be about the administration of justice, not a profit center to plug holes in local governments’ budgets,” O’Scanlon continued. “In the twenty-five years since our Courts were last reformed, too many towns have come to rely on fines to fund their municipal operations and too many local judges have turned into de facto tax collectors. This is not justice and it has to stop.”
TRENTON — The state’s highest court has ruled that those accused of drunken driving in New Jersey have no right to a jury trial, even when they face months in jail and steep fines for repeat offenses. Driving while intoxicated is not a criminal offense in New Jersey, and the state Supreme Court on Thursday maintained… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie’s new nominee to the state Supreme Court isn’t just someone he described as a friend, but the product of a politically well-connected law firm that’s reaped millions of taxpayer dollars under the governor’s administration. Walter “Wally” Timpone’s nomination is expected to gain swift approval from Senate Democrats, clearing the way to… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — In 2003, Gov. Chris Christie’s state Supreme Court nominee Walter Timpone was an attorney in private practice who occasionally did work for Essex County. His nephew had just graduated from college and, interested in politics, needed a job. So Timpone asked Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Jr. for help, and the powerful Democratic leader… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie nominated a New Jersey Democrat to the state’s Supreme Court on Monday, effectively ending his years-long battle to reshape the composition of the bench. The GOP governor, flanked by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), nominated former assistant U.S. Attorney Walter Timpone to fill a vacancy during a Statehouse news conference. The… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — New Jersey’s highest court is weighing whether police departments should be given broad discretion over which documents to release under the state’s public records laws. News organizations and civil liberties advocates say a decision in the case, which involves records from a police shooting requested by a media company, will have broad implications for… Read the rest of this entry »
Senate President Steve Sweeney. file photo by Art Gallagher
TRENTON — State Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Tuesday he will not give a hearing to Gov. Chris Christie’s new nominee to the state Supreme Court — the latest standoff in a feud between New Jersey’s top leaders that has suddenly been reignited. On Monday, Christie made the surprise announcement that he is nominating a fellow… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — In a surprise announcement, Gov. Chris Christie on Monday once again nominated a veteran Monmouth County judge to the state Supreme Court — even though the same nominee was rejected by the state Senate three years ago. The governor announced he was nominating David Bauman, a fellow Republican, at a Statehouse news conference. The… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — Public officials in New Jersey who also serve in leadership positions in churches or organizations are barred from voting on zoning applications for sites within 200 feet of their church or organization, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. But New Jersey’s highest court stopped short of saying officials who simply are members of the… Read the rest of this entry »
