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Martini gets OK as Federal Judge
The Record of Hackensack ^ | 11.16.02

Posted on 11/22/2002 10:15:58 AM PST by Coleus

Martini gets OK as federal judge

MITCHEL MADDUX

Former Rep. Bill Martini has been confirmed as a New Jersey federal judge by the U.S. Senate.

Martini, 55, a Republican who lives in Clifton and practices law in Newark, is a former federal prosecutor who also has served as a Passaic County freeholder.

A member of a prominent Passaic County family long involved in politics, he serves as a commissioner of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Martini will have to resign from the agency, and Governor McGreevey will name his replacement on the 12-person board.

Martini said Friday he looked forward to beginning another career as a jurist.

"I'm actually excited about the new undertaking and the challenges it will present," he said.

Sens. Jon Corzine and Robert Torricelli, both D-N.J., said Martini and four other judges confirmed late Thursday night will add "new voices to New Jersey's federal courts that will reflect our state's intellectual, geographic, and ethnic diversity."

Martini played a key role in the state as a fund-raiser and organizer for President Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.

He began his political career on the Clifton City Council, where he served from 1990 to 1994. He was elected to the Passaic County Board of Freeholders in 1993.

A year later, Martini won a congressional seat in the 8th District, which covers most of Passaic County and some of northern Essex County. He lost the seat two years later to former Paterson Mayor Bill Pascrell, a Democrat.

Martini also has served as an assistant Hudson County prosecutor and spent three years as a federal prosecutor in Newark. Most recently, he has been practicing law at Sills, Cummis in Newark, specializing in litigation, government affairs, and regulatory work.

Bush nominated Martini to the lifetime position in June. It pays $150,000 annually.

New Jersey has three federal courthouses - Newark, Camden, and Trenton - and it was unclear Friday which courthouse Martini would serve in.

Of the four other judges confirmed by the Senate for New Jersey seats, three are magistrates: Stanley Chesler, Freda Wolfson, and Robert Kugler. The fourth confirmation was of Essex County Superior Court Judge Jose Linares.

Chesler, a Republican who sits in Newark, has been a magistrate since 1987. He was a federal prosecutor investigating organized crime from 1980 to 1986, and an assistant district attorney in the Bronx from 1974 to 1980.

Wolfson, a Democrat who sits in Trenton, has been a magistrate since 1986. She is married to Douglas K. Wolfson, director of the law division in the state attorney general's office.

Kugler, an independent who sits in Camden, worked as an assistant Camden County prosecutor. His father is former state Attorney General George Kugler.

Linares, a Republican who sits in Newark, was the first Cuban-American judge at the Essex County Courthouse and former head of the New Jersey Hispanic Bar Association.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: 3rdcircuit; abortion; abortionlist; benny; bush; bushbabeslist; catholiclist; corzine; courtofappeals; courts; federalbench; federaljudiciary; judiciary; newjersey; nhs; nj; presidentbushlist; prolife; scotuslist; sprint; thirdcircuit; torricelli
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Thank you President Bush, yes, no litmus test for the Republicans and for Life, yep, just appoint pro-abortion judges as Clinton did. I know, don't waste your political clout on NJ since it's a hopeless cause with Corzine and Torricelli in control and NO Real Republican Leader in the State--Let the Children suffer because of Politics.
1 posted on 11/22/2002 10:15:59 AM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus
Course, you make no mention of the fact that Bush's executive orders have been the first EVER (even including Reagan) to actually REDUCE abortions. There are four separate EOs that have specifically reduced the # of abortions on military bases; without parental consent; in cases of UN aid (via funding); and there was a fourth I recall early on, but can't put my finger on it now.

Moreover, no mention of whether these judges are "strict constructionists," whose JUDICIAL views would take precedence over their PERSONAL views.

2 posted on 11/22/2002 10:19:42 AM PST by LS
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To: Coleus
I am ignorant on the suject of New Jersey local politics. What makes you sure that all 5 appointees are Pro-Abortion?
3 posted on 11/22/2002 10:19:57 AM PST by WaveThatFlag
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To: Coleus
Please post the correct title and support your accusations.
4 posted on 11/22/2002 10:20:13 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Coleus
Rather than lining up to oppose abortion policy over your posting, I find my mind trying to nail down your agenda, Coleus. Are you a libertarian by chance?
5 posted on 11/22/2002 10:21:38 AM PST by MHGinTN
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To: Coleus
Ah now, let's not be too hard on President Bush. He's Republican, dontchaknow, and therefore it's ok for him to appoint pro-death judges. As long as those nasty ol' Democrats don't do it.
6 posted on 11/22/2002 10:23:33 AM PST by Cacophonous
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To: Coleus
Yes, it's starting to happen!
7 posted on 11/22/2002 10:26:45 AM PST by Salvation
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To: Coleus
I guess I got that wrong. I thought it said pro-life rather than pro-death.

My mistake.
8 posted on 11/22/2002 10:30:02 AM PST by Salvation
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To: PaulNYC; tsomer; Mixer; MattinNJ; OceanKing; TomT in NJ; Coleus; agrace; Alberta's Child; ...
Bush has written off NJ politically, so he does not want to waste any of his "political capital" here in NJ. And given the fact that NJ has two Democrat Senators, he will have a hard time getting them to approve any pro-life candidate.

Federal judicial appointments are usually controlled by the senator(s) of a given state, but if they are both Democrats, then the ranking Republican in the state gets to make the calls, but there is a huge power vacuum in the NJ Republican Party right now -- no one's really in charge.

So, Bush cut a deal with the Democrats a year or so ago. Under its terms, the Democrats get to pick every other judge, and they get to disapprove the ones that Bush picks. In other words, the Democrats get to control 100% of the NJ appointments. This deal allows Bush to ignore what's going on in NJ, but still to get judges confirmed in NJ.

The Democrats agreed not to block his appointments, but he had to agree to let them make every other appointment, and to "vet" his appointments. Thus, no one gets on the federal bench in NJ unless the Dems say so -- which means that we will keep seeing more of the same type of judge (all pro-abortion). But those who are nominated breeze through the confirmation process very easily. (The five who were just confirmed had been rushed through the process BEFORE the elections, something that was not happening anywhere else in the country.) It is doubtful that there will be any change in this arrangement until either (a) the Democrats lose one of the Senate seats or (b) some Republican emerges as the clear victor within the party in NJ and lays claim to the appointment power.

The deal may relate only to district court judges (trial level federal judges) and may not apply to circuit court judges (appellate level federal judges). Nobody really does not know at this present time.

What about Bush's appointment of pro-lifers to the bench? Unfortunately, Bush never committed to this, contrary to the wishful thinking of pro-lifers who were not carefully reading his lips during the 2000 campaign. Bush said something like this, "I will appoint people who will follow the Constitution instead of interpreting it any way they want."

After the election battle left Republicans with only a narrow margin in the Senate (before Jeffords defected and things got even worse), Bush and his administration decided to concentrate on appointments at the appellate level, and not to waste "political capital" on battles on the trial court level.

In any event, rumors have it that it will be a cold day in hell before a known pro-lifer will get a nomination from this administration. So much for appointing pro-lifers to the bench! Although Bush has done some good pro-life things, he and his advisors are still very much adherents of the Republicrat/political school.
9 posted on 11/22/2002 10:31:08 AM PST by Coleus
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To: Always Right
Do you have evidence to the contrary?
10 posted on 11/22/2002 10:32:03 AM PST by Coleus
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To: MHGinTN
Republican
11 posted on 11/22/2002 10:32:43 AM PST by Coleus
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To: All
Martini named Federal Judge... President Bush yesterday nominated former Congressman William Martini as a U.S. Federal Court Judge. Martini served as a Repubican Congressman from Passaic and Essex counties from 1995 to 1997, and is a former Passaic County Freeholder and Clifton Councilman. He defeated freshman Democratic Rep. Herb Klein in the anti-Clinton 1994 elections, but lost his seat two years later to Democrat Bill Pascrell, Jr. Martini's confirmation will open up his seat on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to the McGreevey administration. (01/24/02)




http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1021108202131424.xml
Bill Martini (64), Appointed Federal Judge

White House readies relief for U.S. District Court in Jersey

Three new candidates for prestigious posts join two others awaiting formal nomination

Saturday, May 11, 2002

BY ROBERT RUDOLPH
Star-Ledger Staff

A judicial manpower crisis that has plagued the federal courts may soon be over in New Jersey with the pending nomination of three candidates to seats on the U.S. District Court.

Knowledgeable political and legal insiders say a political logjam that had stalled the confirmation of two pending nominees to the bench is expected to be broken shortly when the White House formally nominates the candidates.

Sources confirmed yesterday that the three new candidates, who include one Democrat, one Independent and one Republican, have already been contacted by the White House and notified of the Bush administration's "intention to nominate" them to the prestigious judicial posts.

Along with two other stalled nominations, it will mark the largest number of federal judicial vacancies ever filled at one time in New Jersey.

The move will help end the largest federal judicial manpower crush in the state in three decades -- the result of several judges stepping down or going on senior status. The situation had threatened to delay the processing of cases, and had already compelled some judges to work seven-day weeks.

The three new candidates have been identified as U.S. Magistrate Freda Wolfson, a Democrat, who sits in Trenton; U.S. Magistrate Robert Kugler, an Independent, who sits in Camden; and state Superior Court Judge Jose Linares, a Republican, who sits in Newark.

The Bush Administration had already passed the names of former Rep. William Martini and sitting U.S. Magistrate Stanley Chesler, both Republicans, to the Senate, but no action has been taken yet to confirm the appointments.

New Jersey's two U.S. senators, Robert Torricelli and Jon Corzine, both Democrats, have practical veto power over the nominations and had agreed to support the Bush candidates only on condition that the White House give them a voice in filling the additional three vacancies.

The senators have maintained that New Jersey is a Democratic state with a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators, so its judges should be picked, at least in part, by Democrats.

Kugler is the son of former New Jersey Attorney General George Kugler, a Republican, and had previously worked as an assistant Camden County prosecutor.

Wolfson is the wife of Douglas K. Wolfson, the newly appointed director of the Division of Law in the state Attorney General's Office, and has served as a federal magistrate since 1986.

Linares is the first Cuban-American judge in Essex County.

Kugler, Wolfson and Linares could not be reached for comment.

Martini is a former member of the Clifton City Council and the Passaic County Board of Freeholders. He was an assistant Hudson County prosecutor and an assistant U.S. attorney, and he served one term in the House before losing to William Pascrell in 1996. Martini represented the 8th Congressional District.

Chesler, who sits in Newark, has been a magistrate since 1987, when he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. He previously served as a federal prosecutor in New Jersey investigating organized crime from 1980 to 1986.

Torricelli press secretary Debra DeShong refused to confirm the names of the three new candidates, but said, "Senators Torricelli and Corzine have been working very closely with the White House to ensure that the nominees reflect the ethnic, gender and geographical diversity of our state."

Alfred DeCotiis, a prominent attorney active in Democratic political circles, said the breakthrough "augers well for a strong and effective judiciary which will reflect the true face of New Jersey."

Donald A. Robinson, a former president of the state federal bar association, also hailed the elevation of the three judges to the district court, noting that the trio have proven to be "experienced, highly competent judges already."

Robinson said the state boasts the highest number of magistrates in the nation who have been promoted to the district bench, and added that the post has proven a valuable training ground.

The district court in New Jersey is divided into three venues: Newark, Trenton and Camden. Ten active judges sit in Newark, three in Trenton and four in Camden. In addition, there are seven senior judges. Judges who reach 65 are allowed to remain on the bench, keeping their office and staff while handling reduced caseloads.
12 posted on 11/22/2002 10:37:57 AM PST by Coleus
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To: Always Right
Looks like they changed the title very fast--within 2 minutes. I can I argue with you since you are always right.
What kind of support do you want? Only one has a congressional record. Just trust me.
13 posted on 11/22/2002 10:40:44 AM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus
Do you have evidence to the contrary?

That's kind of like saying you are a pedophile and asking to prove you are not. You are the one who made the accusation and thus have the burdon of proof.

14 posted on 11/22/2002 10:42:39 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Coleus
Look, It is the Lefts fault that Abortion is even a National issue, but lets not kid ourselves, the odds are That Sandra Dee, and Probably Stevens will not make it through a second Bush term, and Hopefully restoring Constitutionalists to Scotus will scuttle Roe, and Each individual state can decide for itself what should be, and the Job of winning peoples hearts over in the remaining states will be that much easier.
15 posted on 11/22/2002 10:45:21 AM PST by hobbes1
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To: LS
Moreover, no mention of whether these judges are "strict constructionists," whose JUDICIAL views would take precedence over their PERSONAL views.

Being opposed to the judicial activism by which the federal judiciary has taken away the states' right to choose to have laws against abortion--that IS a JUDICIAL view. A strict constructionist would not invent "penumbras" and "emanations" that create a right to abortion in the Constitution. A strict constructionist would adhere to the Tenth Amendment, which limits the powers of the federal government to those explicitly delegated to it in the Constitution. A strict constructionist would not let the federal government overturn legitimate state laws against abortion, as has been done since January 22, 1973.

That said, I do not have enough information on how or why these particular judges are being appointed, so as to comment on this matter per se.

16 posted on 11/22/2002 10:45:35 AM PST by Charles Henrickson
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To: Coleus
What kind of support do you want? Only one has a congressional record. Just trust me.

Trust you based on what. Do you personally know them? Have you've seen any of their rulings before. I know they are from NJ and it could be they are left-leaning, but state why you think so.

17 posted on 11/22/2002 10:45:49 AM PST by Always Right
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To: Always Right
Ok, all 5 are pro life, yea for Bush and Trent Lott rah rah rah
18 posted on 11/22/2002 10:48:08 AM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus
So far, not one thing you've posted addresses these judges on the issues of abortion on demand. I'm beginning to wonder what you mean when you use the term 'pro-life'. [You do realize, don't you, that there are rare cases in medicine when a physician should have the right to 'choose' termination of a pregnancy? Would such a physician be removed from some 'pro-life' list in your economy? Since I state that there are reasons for not outlawing completely the physician and woman's right to choose termination of a pregnancy -under rare circumstances, but still a choice- would you remove me from some pro-life list and malign me as a pro-choicer, a pro-abortionist, a pro-death RINO? Radicalization of our desire to drastically reduce abortion in our nation doesn't help the realization of such a goal.]
19 posted on 11/22/2002 10:52:02 AM PST by MHGinTN
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To: MHGinTN
Found one thing so far. Bill Martini as a member of the House voted FOR a ban on PBA.
20 posted on 11/22/2002 10:56:21 AM PST by William McKinley
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