Frank Lautenberg

Frank Lautenberg probably didn't expect David Souter to vote with the liberal wing of the U.S. Supreme Court when he was appointed Associate Justice by George H.W. Bush in 1990.   New Jersey's two U.S. Senators at the time, Lautenberg and Bill Bradley, were among the nine Senators who voted against the Souter nomination.

During his 25 years in the Senate, Lautenberg has participated in ten Supreme Court nominations; he has voted yes on four (Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Anthony Kennedy, and Antonin Scalia), and has voted no on six (Samuel Alito, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Robert Bork, William Rehnquist, and Souter).

Jon Corzine voted on one Supreme Court nomination during his five years in the Senate, casting a no vote on Roberts for Chief Justice.  Bradley voted on nine top court nominations while in the Senate from 1979 to 1997, supporting Breyer, Ginsberg, Kennedy, Scalia and Sandra Day O'Connor, and opposing Thomas, Souter, Bork and Rehnquist. 

Paul Fishman is still expected to become New Jersey's next United States Attorney, but his appointment is taking a while.  It's been ten weeks since U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez wrote the President recommending his nomination, but the White House has not really begun the appointment of federal prosecutors for each state. 

Such delays are typical with a new administration.  It took George W. Bush nearly a year before settling on Christopher Christie as his pick.

Last week, when Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra defended his office after the American Civil Liberties Union released documents on the use of cell phone GPS tracking, some Democratic operatives viewed it as a defense of Christie, Marra's predecessor and a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor.  But sources close to the state's Democratic U.S. Senators say there has been no discussion about pushing the White House to speed up the appointment process so that Fishman can take office sooner.  And Marra was simply stating that the U.S. Attorney's office in New Jersey had always acted legally and with court approval of its actions, and not in defense of any particular person.

Marra's appointment as Acting U.S. Attorney, which was made by Attorney General Michael Mukasey in December, ends on June 29, unless a new U.S. Attorney is nominated and confirmed before then.  The new Attorney General, Eric Holder, will have the option of keeping Marra or making another 120 day interim appointment.

Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire has withdrawn his name for consideration for U.S. Marshal, and is instead recommending Bergen County Freeholder Tomas Padilla for the post.  Former Mercer County Sheriff Samuel Plumeri, the Director of Security for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, has been actively seeking the post.

In February, U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman had backed McGuire over Padilla and sent a letter to Democratic U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez asking that the Sheriff replace Republican James Plousis in the U.S. Marshal post.

After serving together for 25 years, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) today welcomed his “friend” Arlen Specter to the Senate Democratic Caucus.  

“New Jersey and Pennsylvania share not only a border, but also many common values and interests.  I am confident that with Senator Specter joining us in the majority party in the Senate, our region will benefit greatly,” Lautenberg said.  

New Jerseyans like their United States Senators, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.  Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) has a 47%-38% approval rating, and Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) has an approval rating of 41%-32%.

The massive number of new appointments being processed by the White House has the vetting process a little backed up.  That has caused a delay in President Barack Obama's formal nomination of Paul Fishman as New Jersey's new U.S. Attorney.  Because he has won endorsements from U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, Fishman has the job.  But Obama won't nominate him until the vetting is done, and he must still compete with other nominees waiting to be confirmed on a busy Senate calendar.  In the meantime, Ralph Marra, Jr. will continue to serve as Acting U.S. Attorney.

Also delayed is the appointment of a new U.S. Marshal to replace Republican James Plousis.  Lautenberg and Menendez have not yet made a recommendation to the White House, and that is where the process begins.  The candidates in that race are the same: Samuel Plumeri, the Director of the Port Authority Police and a former Mercer County Sheriff, and Gov. Jon Corzine's choice; Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire, who has the backing of U.S. Rep. Steven Rothman (D-Fair Lawn); and Bergen County Freeholder Director Tomas Padilla, who is also a Hackensack policeman.

Both of New Jersey's Democratic United States Senators remain popular, according to today's Quinnipiac University poll.  Frank Lautenberg has a 47%-37% approval rating, while Robert Menendez is at 41%-33%.

U.S. Rep. Frank Palllone is expected to run for the Senate if Frank Lautenberg retires in 2016.

One more indication that U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone is extraordinarily serious about running for the United States Senate: he has hired veteran Democratic spokesman Richard McGrath as his new Communications Director.  McGrath, who has held the same position for two U.S. Senators, has worked five statewide campaigns and has spent the last seven years at the New Jersey Democratic State Committee.  McGrath isn't moving to Washington to work for a policy wonk Congressman unless another statewide race is on the horizon. 

The twelve-term Congressman from Monmouth County has $3.5 million cash on hand - the largest war chest of any New Jersey federal official.  Pallone is eyeing the seat of Frank Lautenberg, who will be 90-years-old when his current Senate term is up.

Richard McGrath, one of New Jersey's premier spinmeisters, will be moving to Washington this month to become the Communications Director for U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch).  

Since 2002, McGrath has been the Communications Director of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, where he has played a full-time role in Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign, Bob Menendez's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign, and Jon Corzine's 2005 gubernatorial campaign.  He was Communications Director for James E. McGreevey's 1997 and 2001 campaigns for Governor, served as Communications Director for two U.S. Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Torricelli.  McGrath has also worked for the New Jersey Senate Democratic office, the state Treasury Department, and the Democratic Governors Association.

McGrath will replace Andrew Souvall, who has worked for Pallone since 2000.  Souvall has accepted a private sector position in California.

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg

National Journal magazine has rated Frank Lautenberg as the 4th most liberal member of the United States Senate, while Robert Menendez ranks 15th.  Lautenberg gets a liberal score of 88.3%, while Menendez is at 82.2%.  For comparison purposes, Joe Lieberman is at 59.3%.