Baroni says Judiciary Committee meeting will go 'all night' if necessary

Far from the three days they originally requested to interview state Supreme Court Justice Barry Albin, it looks like Republicans will get part of an afternoon.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which has been meeting since 10:00 a.m., has a long agenda today, and they’re expected to address Albin’s renomination at the very end of it.  As of 1:35 p.m., Albin had still not testified, and staffers said the expected to have him on between 2:00 p.m. and 2:30 at the earliest.  

But state Sen. Bill Baroni (R-Hamilton) said that the late start won’t keep him from questioning Albin thoroughly, even if the meeting runs past dinner.  

"I'm looking forward to a thorough and complete review of justice Albin's nomination. I'm prepared for a thoughtful discussion that our state constitution demands. And ill stay all night if we have to,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean, Jr. (R-Westfield), who has been hopping between the concurrent Judiciary Committee and Budget Committee meetings, said that the delay in getting down to the day’s core business on both committees shows the Democrats’ “inability to govern.”  

 “Between the budget and all of these nominations, it just goes to show that the Democrats are in absolute disarray,” he said.  

Albin’s renomination is almost assured to be cleared by the committee today, but Republicans are hoping to score some political points based on decisions Albin made during his seven year tenure.  If confirmed by the state senate, Albin, 56, will be able to sit on the bench until mandatory retirement at age 70.