Maurice Gallipoli

Hudson County Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli will issue a written decision on whether Jersey City Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez can remain in office.

Gallipoli today heard arguments from a lawsuit that challenges Lopez’s residency because she claimed her Orlando, Fla. home as her permanent residence for tax purposes and filed income taxes from Florida, which does not have a state income tax.  

Attorney Diana Jeffrey, who with law partner Howard Myerowitz represents the plaintiff, unsuccessful Ward C council candidate Norrice Raymaker, said that she expects to hear the decision soon because judges typically rule quickly in election related cases.  

Jeffrey said Lopez explained why she did not pay her taxes in New Jersey.   

“Basically she said she didn’t know she had to – that she had to file taxes from her New Jersey address even though she worked exclusively in New Jersey, and as to the mortgage documents said they say her Florida home was her primary residence,she said she didn’t read them, just signed them,” said Jeffery. 

Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli today refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Lopez's eligibility to hold public office in New Jersey.  Gallipoli said there were a substantial dispute of facts and credibility, and express some concern about Lopez's own credibility.  He wants an opportunity to hear her testimony, and set an October 26 court date.

A lawsuit aimed at removing Jersey City Councilwoman Nidia Rivera Lopez from office  is going to court.  Hudson County Assignment Judge Maurice Gallipoli refused to dismiss a suit filed by Lopez's former opponent, Jimmy King, and says he will hear evidence that she did not meet the residency requirements to run for office last May because she was actually a resident of Florida.  Depositions will be held in August, and a trial has been set for the first week in October. 

Lopez defeated King for the seat held by Steve Lipski, who did not seek re-election after he was charged with urinating on a crowd of people during a concert in Washington, D.C.

One day after Hudson County Assignment Judge Maurice Gallipoli was chastised by Senate Judiciary Committee members for questioning their right to question the record of a Superior Court Judge up for confirmation to a tenured seat, the state Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) announced that Gallipoli was one of thirty Judges statewide – 6% of the total judiciary – who refused to voluntarily participate in the two-day furlough of state employees. 

"While I would welcome the opportunity to give you an explanation, I'm precluded from doing that by the constraints placed on me by my judicial office," Gallipoli told the Jersey Journal,. "I have privately explained my reason for not participating to the Chief Judge.”  Instead of giving up his income, Gallipoli will take vacation days when the court closes for one day this month and one day next month.

Two Democratic Senators seemed a bit piqued yesterday when the Hudson County Assignment Judge implied that the Senate Judiciary Committee was dragging a Superior Court Judge through the mud as they questioned him during a confirmation hearing that would give Frederick Theemling tenure until he reaches the mandatory retirement age of seventy.  The reaction of State Sens. Raymond Lesniak (D-Elizabeth) and Nicholas Scutari (D-Linden) sends a signal that the Judiciary Committee, in a change of direction, is prepared to question judicial nominees about their records.

Theemling, a former Hudson County Prosecutor and a candidate for Congress against Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) in 1992, seemed incredibly unprepared for any questions from Senators regarding his nearly seven years on the bench.  Scutari was seeking an explanation for what appeared to be an unusually large number of appeals to his decisions - 114 of his cases were appealed since becoming a Superior Court Judge.

In Trenton to support and defend Theemling, Assignment Judge Maurice Gallipoli accused the Senators of treating Theemling harshly.  "I earnestly suggest to you that this is a good man who should not be dragged through the mud," Gallipoli told the panel.

That bothered Lesniak, who told Gallipoli that the role of the Judiciary Committee was to question nominees about their "qualification, character, ability and record." 

"Asking legitimate questions about that record has nothing to do with dragging a person through the mud," Lesniak said.

Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Wilson Campbell faces ethics charges for allegedly having an affair with his bailiff, who attempeted suicide after they broke up.

An ethics complaint has been filed against Jersey City Municipal Court Judge Wilson Campbell, who allegedly had an affair with a bailiff assigned to his courtroom.  The bailiff attempted suicide last June after breaking up with the Judge, according to the complaint filed by the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.  The bailiff has been reassigned to another courtroom and Campbell continues to serve on the bench.

The incident occurred just weeks before former Jersey City Municipal Court Chief Judge Wanda Molina was indicted for fixing parking tickets.   Molina is accused of dismissing eight parking tickets for a female companion. She stepped down last year during the initial investigation over ticket fixing, which netted half of Jersey City's municipal judges. 

Three other Jersey City Judges have been charges with misconduct as part of the ticket fixing scandal: Victor Sison, Pauline Sica and Irwin Rosen.  Also indicted was Virginia Pagan, a former court administrator who allegedly fixed 215 parking tickets for herself and her daughter.

So far, four out of ten Jersey City Municipal Court Judges have departed as part of a growing ticket fixing scandal.  Judge Victor Sisone took a leave of absence yesterday, joining Chief Judge Wanda Molina and two others.

While the Mayor of Jersey City appoints local Judges, with the advise and consent of the City Council, Municipal Court Judges are supervised by the Superior Court Assignment Judge.  It might be interesting to see if Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, the state Judiciary Boss, will hold the Assignnment Judge, Maurice Gallipoli, accountable for a scandal that happened on his watch.