James Zazzali

Kimberly Guadagno also has a connection to no-bid monitor contracts, but you won’t hear Democrats talking about that.  While serving as a Deputy Attorney General and Assistant Director of the state Division of Criminal Justice, Guadagno prosecuted John Natale, a hedge fund manager from Holmdel who bilked investors out of $47 million.  According to an Associated Press report, Natale “used the money to place high-stakes bets that there would be a downturn, notably in technology stocks and their indexes.

“The downturn never happened. To hide the mounting losses in his funds, Natale created false audits, tax documents and monthly statements to his investors showing strong returns,” according to the AP.  “Natale had claimed that the funds,Cambridge Partners and Cambridge Partners II, were worth $50 million. In reality, only $3 million remains.”

A politically active lawyer from Essex County was picked as the court-appointed receiver to control the remaining $3 million: James Zazzali, who had served as state Attorney General under Gov. Brendan Byrne.  But Zazzali gave up the assignment after a few months to take a new job – as an Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

Assembly Majority Executive Director Bill Castner will leave his post in January to become a Director at Gibbons P.C. – the law firm of his longtime mentor Chief Justice James Zazzali. Gibbons is ranked among the nation's top 200 law firms by the American Lawyer.

The former Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, James Zazzali, is joining two law firms: Zazzali, Fagella, Nowak, Kleinbaum & Friedman, the firm his father founded in 1925; and Gibbons P.C., where his daughter is a partner.  Zazzali, the Attorney General of New Jersey under Governor Brendan Byrne, was named Associate Justice by Governor Christine Todd Whitman in 2000.  Governor Jon Corzine elevated him to Chief Justice in 2006, a position he held for just under a year before reaching the mandatory retirement age of seventy.

Serious players in New Jersey politics seem to believe Stuart Rabner will get confirmed before the Supreme Court returns in the fall. But one reader asked a tantalizing question: what would it say about Jon Corzine's own governorship if he can't get his own nominees for Chief Justice and Attorney General through a State Senate controlled by his own party?

Less than seven years after leaving office, the so-called Whitman Court has virtually disappeared.  Of the six Supreme Court appointments made by Christine Todd Whitman during her seven years as Governor, only two -- Virginia Long and Jaynee LaVecchia -- are expected to remain in office when the next court session begins this fall.  James Zazzali, whom she named as an Associate Justice in 2000, reaches the mandatory retirement age of seventy in October. 

If Stuart Rabner is confirmed as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, he could potentially serve as the state's top jurist for the next 23 years -- serving until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of seventy in 2030.

In New Jersey, the Chief Justice is effectively the CEO of the judicial branch -- with the extraordinarily powerful assignment of single handedly determining who serves as Appellate Court Judges and deciding assignments for Superior Court Judges.

New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Photos
Stuart Rabner will be the next Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and Anne Milgram will replace him as Attorney General, according to several sources close to Gov. Jon Corzine.

Insiders predict an easy confirmation for both, especially Rabner, who has won high praise from leaders of both parties.

Chief Justice James Zazzali must step down in October, when he reaches the mandatory age of seventy. If nominated and confirmed, the 47-year-old Rabner would become the youngest Chief Justice since Pierre Garven in 1973. He could potentially run the state judiciary system for the next 23 years.

New Jersey Lawyer's Bob Seidenstein is reporting that Governor Jon Corzine will elevate Associate Justice Virginia Long to replace James Zazzali as Chief Justice.  Seidenstein lists state Public Advocate Ronald Chen as her replacement.

Among Chief Justice James Zazzali's appointees today to a Supreme Court committee that will overhaul the legal profession's continuing education standards are Assembly Majority Executive Director Bill Castner and James Lance, twin brother of Senate Minority Leader Leonard Lance. Former Supreme Court Justice Peter Verniero will chair the panel. This is not the first time Castner served on a Supreme Court Committee: former Chief Justice Deborah Poritz appointed Castner, Zazzali's former clerk, to a committee that resolved a dispute between Legal Services of New Jersey and the state's financial services industry in 2005.

MERKT: GET TO BOTTOM OF JUDICIARY "VISIT"

DEMANDS THAT SUPREME COURT DIRECT FULL DISCLOSURE

Citing recent reports in The Star-Ledger that a Judiciary employee last week visited the Legislature's office and "joked" that Assemblyman Richard A. Merkt (R. - Morris) could be prosecuted for "threatening judges" because he called for impeachment of members of the Supreme Court, Merkt today demanded that the Judiciary immediately and publicly disclose everything it knows about the incident, including who made the visit, who sent the visitor, and exactly what was said.

"It is no 'joking' matter for a Judiciary official to suggest to a legislative employee that a legislator might be subject to criminal charges for calling for impeachment of Supreme Court justices," asserted Merkt. "At best, it seems highly inappropriate behavior on behalf of the Judiciary employee. The Supreme Court should immediately direct the Judiciary to divulge publicly everything it knows about this incident, so that we can get to the bottom of this affair."

Merkt noted that Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce yesterday sent a letter to Chief Justice James Zazzali, asking for an explanation of the incident.

"While I am certainly grateful for Leader DeCroce's prompt action asking the Chief Justice to look into what happened," said Merkt, "I believe that all members of the Legislature, the media, and the public have a right to know precisely what occurred, who was involved, and what was said."

Merkt observed that Judiciary officials have been less than forthcoming so far regarding the details of the incident. A court spokesperson, for example, reportedly told one member of the media what was said, then later denied to another reporter having any idea what was said. The same spokesperson also originally claimed that Merkt put out a press release before the Supreme Court's gay marriage decision was issued and that staffers had seen a copy earlier. Later, confronted with proof by the media that the press release was issued after the decision, she changed her story. The court spokesperson has yet to publicly divulge the identity of the visitor to the Legislature.

"If the visit by the Judiciary employee to the Legislature was so benign and involved nothing improper, then why all the secrecy on the part of the Judiciary?" asked Merkt, who added, "Why not publicly disclose who was involved, so the official can directly answer questions about the incident, rather than channeling everything through a spokesperson?"

Merkt pointed out that, if, on the other hand, it turns out that the "visit" was intended to convey the Judiciary's disapproval of his criticism of the Supreme Court and intention to file impeachment resolutions, the so-called "joke" takes on a far more sinister aspect, as well as raises serious issues regarding free speech and the constitutional separation of powers.

"No one in public life is above criticism or accountability for his or her actions, not even members of the Supreme Court," stated Merkt. "This is why it is so important that we get to the bottom of this situation, uncover the facts, and determine whether or not there was an effort on the part of the Judiciary to intimidate or silence a legislative critic. The court"s own credibility depends on a prompt and full disclosure of the facts, so the people of New Jersey can judge for themselves whether anything improper took place."

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