Gerlad Cardinale

Francis DeVito is not dead, regardless of what State Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R-Demarest) says.  Cardinale sent a letter on Friday to Mary DeVito, expressing his "sincere sympathy" on the loss of her husband.  He also included a suitable-for-framing "memoriam" from the State Senate expressing the sorrow of the upper house on DeVito's demise.  DeVito is alive, according to an employee at his Hackensack law office.

Click here to read Cardinale's letter and see the Senate Memoriam

Lawyers will be the minority on the 2009 State Senate Judiciary Committee headed by engineer Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge)

For the first time since the new State Constitution was approved in 1947, a majority of members of the 2009 New Jersey State Senate Judiciary Committee -- six of eleven -- are not lawyers.  Chairman Paul Sarlo and Vice Chairman John Girgenti are not attorneys, as is fellow Democrat Loretta Weinberg.  Among the Republicans, Gerald Cardinale (who serves as the unofficial ranking Republican), Joseph Kyrillos and Jennifer Beck are not attorneys.

The lawyers on the Judiciary Committee are Democrats Raymond Lesniak, Nicholas Scutari, Robert Smith and Nia Gill, and Republican Bill Baroni. 

Senate President Richard Codey, who is responsible for the non-lawyer a majority -- a move some pols are applauding -- is one of a few non-lawyers to serve as Senate President.

Joseph Ariyan is raising a lot of money for his race against GOP State Sen. Gerald Cardinale, but he’s not ready to go head-to-head with the veteran incumbent in a joint TV appearance.

The two 39th district candidates were invited to appear this weekend on Channel 9’s New Jersey Now. Cardinale accepted, but Ariyan, a first time candidate, declined.