... another day, another dumb move.
Not content with destroying the education system of the state, Christie is clearly striving to position himself towards a 2012 Presidential bid. On Monday, Christie became the first NJ governor ever to remove a NJ Supreme Court justice from the bench. The way the NJ Supreme court works is as follows: A justice is nominated, confirmed, then serves a seven year term. At the end of those seven years, the governor "reappoints" them, effectively giving them a life term until the age of 70.
Christie's reasoning behind removing the only African-American justice? If you answered "judicial activism," give yourself a gold star.
From NJ.com:
Senate President Steve Sweeney picked up his phone Monday morning and listened as Gov. Chris Christie dropped a political bomb onto this lap.
Supreme Court Justice John Wallace, a close ally of Sweeney, had to go. The governor was removing him, the first time a sitting justice has been removed from the bench since the Constitution was drafted after World War II.
Sweeney was shocked. Wallace is a close ally of his, the Court’s only African-American, and Sweeney had made it clear over and over that protecting Wallace was a top personal priority. This was a major dis.
Full article is located here. This state is really going to shit. Thanks, NJ voters. More news on the matter is occurring at this very moment. Apparently, the state Senate (with a Democratic majority) is refusing to hold any confirmation hearings for Christie's nominee, Anne Patterson.
"The Senate cannot in good conscience play a role in the governor’s reckless politicization of the courts," said Sweeney (D-Gloucester). "I will not allow the dismantling of New Jersey’s independent judiciary."
Further info on the hearings, or lack thereof can be found here. Do we NJ voters have any hope? We've apparently elected the second coming of George W. Bush.