A shortage of N.J. judges and no nominees by Trump. Why?

NJ Advance Media for NJ.com ^ | February 18, 2018

[SMGFan]

Faith S. Hochberg, a former federal judge in New Jersey, retired from the bench in 2015. Three years later, she has yet to be replaced. U.S. District Judge William Martini that same year moved to senior status--a form of semi-retirement that allows a judge to continue working at a reduced case level--creating another court vacancy that also has not been filled. Both long-term openings are now considered judicial emergencies.

Last year, former Chief Judge Jerome Simandle moved to senior status as well, with at least two other judges in the federal district announcing they will soon join him in the coming months.

In a few months, the federal courts in New Jersey will be short five judges--possibly more--in a busy judicial district authorized to have 17 active judges. No one has been nominated for any of the vacancies.

[SMGFan]

"The current vacancies in New Jersey stem in part to a Republican majority in the Senate willing to play hardball in the final year of the Obama presidency, according to the liberal Alliance for Justice, which focuses on judicial nominations. Laurie Kinney, a spokeswoman for the group, said the Republicans held off approval of most of Obama's nominees toward the end of his tenure, in hopes that a Republican president would be elected, leading to a big backlog in nominations. "That gamble paid off, unfortunately," she said.

[BobL]

Hard to see what good to the country a judge from New Jersey could be...but maybe there’s an exception or two, if we look hard enough.

[Blood of Tyrants]

It’s actually because the Republicans WON’T play hardball. They like being able to publicly denounce DemocRats for obstructionism, but secretly like not doing anything.

[OrangeHoof]

The GOP may have blocked Obama’s nominees but the two Dem senators would surely reject any Trump nominees.

[SMGFan]

blue slip is not a rule but a curtesy and Grassley seems to be ending that.

[TakebackGOP]

What about when the Democrats were allowed to replace a senate candidate illegally and the court said that it was constitutional, even though it violated the NJ state Constitution and the Democrats won the election?

[Postman]

That was Torricelli and a State Supreme Court consisting of New Jersey’s “best and brightest legal talents”....not a federal court.

If the NJSC is populated by NJ’s best and brightest lawyers would you really want them or any lesser legal lights from this state on a Federal court where they can do infinitely more damage?

[Teflonic]

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is from NJ, you won’t find a more strict constitutionalist than him. Unfortunately the mold seems to have been broken with him, there may be no more suitable judicial candidates left in NJ worthy of selection which would explain the current shortage.

[TakebackGOP]

No, but I thought it was a court that had vacancies in NJ.

[ScottfromNJ]

“there may be no more suitable judicial candidates left in NJ worthy of selection”

I don’t think a candidate for the federal bench necessarily has to be from NJ, although Presidents usually do try and seek out judges and lawyers who practice law in the state where the district resides. A candidate would be required to move to the state once confirmed though.

[vette6387]

“What about when the Democrats were allowed to replace a senate candidate illegally and the court said that it was constitutional, even though it violated the NJ state Constitution and the Democrats won the election?”

That was when Bob Torricelli was found to be corrupt ( imagine that in NJ?) and they dragged out the Lautencorpse to take his spot.