NJ: Plan would shift control of appellate judge appointments to governor and Senate
Some New Jersey legislators want to amend the state constitution to transfer the authority to appoint appellate judges from the Judiciary to the governor and Senate, a proposal that prompted swift, sharp rebukes Wednesday from the state’s top jurist and the state bar association.
Now, trial judges on state Superior Court are nominated by the governor and must be vetted and approved by the Senate, and the Supreme Court chief justice appoints judges to the Appellate Division, which is part of Superior Court.
Under draft legislation, the state would eliminate the Appellate Division, create a separate Court of Appeals, and require appellate judges to be nominated by the governor and vetted and approved by the Senate. That plan would reduce the Chief Justice’s role to assigning trial court judges temporarily to the appeals court to fill vacancies until the governor and Senate act to appoint permanent appellate judges.
“The amendment would give the people of New Jersey, through their elected representatives the Governor and the members of the Senate, a voice in the selection of appellate judges,” a draft of the bill reads.
https://newjerseymonitor.com/2024/05/08/plan-would-shift-control-of-appellate-judge-appointments-to-governor-and-senate/
