No surprise that Stuart Rabner's nomination to NJ Supreme Court was confirmed yesterday - after a four-hour hearing - in a landslide 36-1 vote. And the one dissenting vote? Well, no surprise there, either. From The Star Ledger.
Gill cast the only vote against Rabner yesterday, both on the Senate floor and earlier in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gill denied she had used "senatorial courtesy" -- the unwritten rule allowing senators to block nominees from their home counties -- to hold up the confirmation hearing, which had been planned for Monday.But during the committee hearing, Gill said she was concerned that Rabner, a former federal prosecutor, lacked experience in the state courts.
"We don't know your judicial philosophy," she said. "This is the first time in the history of the Supreme Court to have a chief who has not practiced law in the state."
...Rabner, a Democrat from Caldwell, will replace James Zazzali, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 over the weekend. Rabner will be the youngest chief justice in modern New Jersey history.
Steve Adubato takes a critical look at the privilege of senatorial "discourtesy" Gill claims she didn't use to temporarily stall Rabner's confirmation.
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Comments (2)
Adubato blew it absolutely when he wrote, of Gill, "She is a fine legislator who serves her district well." If she serves her district so bloody well, then why write a column about her misuse of senatorial privilege in the first place? And then why not atleast ask why she in fact voted against Rabner?
This is an example of the "depth" of commentary we usually see on NJ politics. It is not remotely comforting to think that someone like Steve Adubato (Sr. or Jr., come to think of it) is looking out for us.
doesn't anyone out there think that the consideration of who whould be the chief justice in this state for the next 25 years deserves more than an hour of debate??? I have nothing against Rabner, but I find it outrageous that people are criticising Gill for being the only one to say that.