Stuart Rabner

The Senate Judiciary Committee today approved the nominations of Stuart Rabner as Chief Justice and Anne Milgram as Attorney General, and the State Assembly passed legislation that would ban legislators and their families from accepting gifts from lobbyists.

Stuart Rabner will likely win confirmation as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, but without the backing of a State Senator Nia Gill. The Essex County Democrat voted against Rabner in the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying that he lacks judicial experience, has no "body of work," and that his departure would leave the state with three Attorneys General in less than two years.  Gill was the only no vote on the panel.

Gill stops resisting Rabner, former Bergen County prosecutor questions Rabner’s character, Tom Moran on Nia Gill, Bloomberg leaves GOP, Weinberg uses senatorial courtesy, a Bergen County lawyer charged with exposing himself keeps his place on an ethics panel, Healy not likely to face jail time, a watermelon delivery leads to an investigation.

Editor's Note: On Monday, the Today's News feature will move to the NJPOLITICS IN THE NEWS section, located on the top left side of this site. 

ADLER ON RABNER: PLEASED BY THE PROSPECT OF HIS CONFIRMATION

TRENTON - Senator John H. Adler, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today made the following comment about State Attorney General Stuart Rabner being scheduled to testify before the panel on Thursday concerning his nomination as Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court:

Gov. Jon Corzine's nominations for Chief Justice and Attorney General have been listed on the Senate Judiciary Committee agenda for Thursday.  Corzine has named Stuart Rabner to succeed James Zazzali as Chief Justice, and Anne Milgram to replace Rabner as Attorney General.

New Jersey Republicans adopt winner-take-all rule, Tom Wilson wins another term, Gill refuses to explain why she's holding up Rabner nomination, Democrats defend Gill, Tom Moran on Lesly Devereaux,National Democrats pouring resources into defeating Frank LoBiondo

Democrats defended Sen. Nia Gill Thursday and tried to keep their heads raised in what U.S. Attorney Chris Christie says is a veritable house - and senate - of shame.

Christie brought both arms down on top of the Legislature yesterday as he fumed about senatorial foot-dragging and slammed lawmakers for not promptly moving to approve Gov. Jon Corzine’s nomination of Attorney General Stuart Rabner to the office of Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.

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?

In the end, if he has to, Stuart Rabner can get around the senatorial courtesy thing.

Back in 1981, Governor Brendan Byrne appointed labor leader Joel Jacobson to the Casino Control Commission.  The nomination of the South Orange resident was blocked for months by James Wallwork, a Republican State Senator from Essex County.  Wallwork exercised senatorial courtesy because none of the five casino commissioners came from South Jersey. 

The word got out early to the press corps on Wednesday morning.  Get to the Annual Luncheon of the 200 Club of Mercer County, a group dedicated to helping the families of public safety and rescue personnel killed in the line of duty, a great cause.  But the news maker would be Christopher Christie, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, who was the event's keynote speaker and would have something important to say.  Christie planned to discuss the hold-up in the confirmation of Stuart Rabner, his former colleague and still close friend, as the next chief justice of the state court.