Martini gets OK as Federal Judge

The Record of Hackensack ^ | 11.16.02

[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.

[Coleus]

I suggest before you get your undies in a bunch that you weigh the number of actual lives saved by the EXISTING orders and let the future take care of itself.>>>

With the type of left-wing federal judges he is appointing, I don't there there will much of a future for the fetus in NJ or elsewhere.

[LS]

So you have, for a third time, either ignored the point of the post or choose to disregard the ultimate goal of saving lives. I submit to you one last time---and give you a chance to acknowledge your error---that Bush has, through ex. orders, already saved countless lives, while the judge appointmees, which have yet to rule in a single case in their new appointments, have yet to affect a single life in any way as related to Bush.

Are you ready yet to start focusing on lives saved rather than "potential" lives lost?

[Coleus]

And for the third time, your point isn't germane to the post. I'm sticking to the subject matter of Bush not appointing pro-life judges to the federal bench as he stated he was going to do and for LYING to the American people. So far he hasn't proved to be very truthful. The facts are the same and in NOT any error, Bush lied and appointed 5 pro-abortion judges to the federal bench in New Jersey. Bush made a serious error and I hope he asks for God's forgiveness.

[Coleus]

Thanks, this question deals with partial birth abortion, the most extreme. Martini is pro choice with the issue of abortion.

From your link:

"Locked in one of the closest races in New Jersey, Martini has credentials that may invite crossover votes. He is endorsed by the Sierra Club for his environmental record--he led an effort to prevent development of the 17,500-acre Sterling Forest-- is pro-choice and voted to raise the minimum wage. Still, Martini won his freshman election by only 1%, and his popularity hasn't been tested against a challenger as well known as Pascrell"

Choice = abortion in my book.

Great fiscal conservative republican--He voted for an increase for the minimun wage too. If I didn't know him and read this paragraph I would have bet he was a Democrat.

[Coleus]

Thanks for the research, as I said he's an abortionist. Most level-headed pro choicers voted against PBA.

Can you provide the links you used to find this information, thanks. Martini is worse than I thought.

[Republican Wildcat]

Sounds like you are making things up as you go along. Not that I'm surprised or anything.

[WaveThatFlag]

This is very upsetting. Why isn't the RTL making a big deal of it?

[LS]

I hope you ask God's forgiveness for impugning people you don't even know, for criticizing Bush, who has already saved lives, yet you want to deal in hypotheticals. The Lord said "tomorrow has enough trouble unto itself."

You've shown me you aren't really concerned about the number of unborn who are saved, but making some political point.

[Coleus]

I've shown that bush is a liar, went back on his word and surreptitiously appointed 5 abortionists to the federal bench in NJ. If he had half a brain, and stood by his so-called religious/life convictions, he would have appointed nobody until Corzine and Torricelli acquiesced. Amen.

[LS]

You've shown that all you care about is an "issue," not reality. Reality is that Bush, true to his word, has actually saved lives. The more you rant, the clearer it becomes that you have no real concern at all for the unborn, or you would be praising Bush who---UNLIKE REAGAN---actually saved lives.

[Coleus]

Speak for yourself and stop pontificating--it's getting boring and redundant, you don't know me so your posts are meaningless. God Bless Ronald Reagan.

[LS]

I agree. God bless Ronald Reagan and God bless George W. Bush. But which one has done more, in reality, to stop abortion? It ain't even close, and it ain't the gipper. And talk about redundant, you are still bogged down in worrying about hypotheticals vs. the ACTUAL saving of lives by Bush ex. orders. Guess that's too much for you, huh?

[Coleus]

What's the executive order # ? I once had a website bookmarked which listed all executive orders and now I can not locate it.

[LS]

I don't know the number. One involved abortions on military bases (squelched), so it would probably be buried in a military ex. o. of some time, EARLY on.

Another came later, and that involved withdrawal of funding from UN programs that supported abortion.

The third was part of the recent medical privacy ex.os and had to do with parental consent.

I'm pretty sure there was a 4th one early on. I suggest you contact National Right to Life. I'm sure they have them all.

[OldFriend]

Can anyone explain why Toricelli is mentioned in this article?

[OldFriend]

Perhaps the purist Coleus can explain his working on the campaign of Doug Forrester an avowed pro choicer. Seems consistency is not a big part of his fervor!

[OldFriend]

And your working on Doug Forrester's campaign represents your commitment to life?????????????????????? Seek help!

[Coleus]

Unfortunately, he's still our Senator until January, 2003; therefore, he still approves judicial nominees.

[Coleus]

There are a number of factors which I will explain very briefly.

First, the NJ RTL did endorse Forrester until the last week or so of the campaign, Fr. Peter West of Priests for Life endorsed him as the lesser of two evils, as the leader of the Republican ticket on the ballot, there were many candidates' candidacy at stake who would have lost if the leader of the ticket would suffer--remember, many people vote from left to right which I hope the county chairman who, normally, are primarily concerned with the Freeholder elections would learn. And, finally, I did not work for the Forrester campaign.

[OldFriend]

Are you stating here on this forum that you did NOT volunteer for Forrester?