Free Republic

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — a rising star in the national Republican Party — called an overhaul of the state pension system his "biggest governmental victory." He now faces embarrassment from flaws his reforms failed to fix.

TRENTON — Stressing the importance of maintaining diversity at the highest levels of New Jersey’s judiciary, Gov. Chris Christie Monday nominated an openly gay African-American mayor and a Korean-American assistant attorney general to the Supreme Court.

"TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie moved to diversify the state’s all-white Supreme Court on Monday by proposing two firsts: the nominations of an openly gay black man and a Korean-born law enforcer to fill two vacancies. Christie announced the nominations at a Statehouse news conference attended by both nominees and their families. If confirmed, Bruce A. Harris would become New Jersey’s first openly gay justice, and Phillip H. Kwon would become its first Asian representative and the first person born outside the United States to be sworn in."

Chris Christie weighed in on the Occupy Wall Street protesters yesterday asserting that they "come from the same perspective" but have "different solutions." "What they are saying is, that 'Government is not working for me anymore, government is not being fair and government is not helping me the way it should,'" he added. Christie said that he didn't agree with the solutions of the Occupy Wall Street protesters, but said, "I understand why they are angry."

Gov. Chris Christie is seriously rethinking his months of denials and may launch a campaign for the White House after all, a source close to the governor said tonight. In the last week, Christie has been swayed away from his earlier refusals to run by an aggressive draft effort from a cadre of Republicans and donors unhappy with the GOP field, said the source, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.