N.J. Supreme Court's refusal to hear gay marriage case raises question of Christie's influence

[NJmaverick]

TRENTON — The New Jersey Supreme Court doesn't give interviews, so no one can ask whether the tribunal balked on the gay marriage issue because it was afraid of the reaction of Gov. Chris Christie.
"There won't be any comment," says Winnie Comfort, a spokeswoman for the court. "Of course, people are free to speculate. There is nothing we can do about that."
Comfort made the comments in response to remarks by legislators who raised the issue of whether the court — or, at least, three members — might have been afraid to touch the gay marriage case because Christie can remove them by appointing other justices. The way he did to Justice John Wallace, the court's only African-American.
Both state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union) and Assemblyman John D. McKeon (D-Essex) told The Star-Ledger's Matt Friedman the decision raised the question of whether Wallace's ouster led three non-permanent court members to duck the issue.

This is beyond troubling

http://blog.nj.com/njv_bob_braun/2010/08/nj_supreme_court_justices_who.html

[aquart]

1. They wanted Christie. They got him.

[NJmaverick]

2. I certainly didn't want Christie. I busted my butt for the flawed but superior

Corzine

[vi5]

3. I can't believe I'm saying this....

But I think I may hate Chris Christie more than any other republican right now. Mostly because he has the most direct power and influence over things that affect my life and the life of people I love now. Even in the darkest times I've always been proud of my state and very happy living here. And while the impact of what he's doing isn't going to be felt right away it is going to have major implications.

Makes me incredibly sad.

[NJmaverick]

4. I rarely use the term hate, but CC certainly earned that distinction

between his brazen attacks on teachers and union workers to his stealing the rights of the GLBT community I have rarely met a more reprehensible sorry excuse for a human being.

[vi5]

5. So maddening.....

I think about him and what he's trying to do (and which I fear he will get away with unfortunately) and it just gets me enraged like few others can.

I have no problem using the term hate, and it definitely applies here.

[dsc]

6. the judges are certainly not being profiles in courage

but for legislators who could have fixed this when Corozine was still governor to complain about other people not doing their jobs is hypocritical. I do hope that something good happens for you all, but frankly I think you are stuck for another 3 plus years.

[NJmaverick]

8. Christie already removed a highly qualified African American from the bench

Our state is messed up, in that apparently a governor that doesn't care about right or wrong can take down the judicial branch.

[JackBeck]

10. Lesniak was the co-sponsor of the marriage equality bill.

So, he's not the one being hypocritical in this case. In fact, when it comes to LGBT equality, Ray is a champion and legislative activist. Sens. Loretta Weinberg, Nia Gill, Teresa Ruiz, Barbara Buono and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey can also be considered champions of equality. Steve Sweeney told me to my face just hours before the vote that he was on our side but wasn't going to be the 16th vote, only to ABSTAIN during his fist major vote as Senate President, that is a hypocrite.

We had the votes in the legislature to win, including from some Republicans, but that all changed the day of the election, when Christie strong-armed the Republicans to fall in line and some Democrats got clay feet.

Our next plan of action was to petition the Supreme Court to re-open the initial case (Lewis v. Harris), since we had extensive proof that the legislature had failed to fulfill the Supreme Court's ruling.

Here we are, with full knowledge that we lost the votes for marriage equality on election day, yet continuing to organize rallies in Trenton to get both Republican and Democratic Senators on official record admitting that their decision to provide civil unions to same-gender couples had failed. This is how we play 'three-dimensional chess' in New Jersey.

So where are we at now? Everyone or both sides of the aisle knows exactly why the 3 justices ruled the way they did, so the article is spot on. As our case makes its way through the lower courts, which the Supreme Court has requested to be done expeditiously, it should be reaching the NJ Supreme Court within the next year. We will then have established an appropriate trial-like record. Kind of like what happened California.

But the difference? This time, the Supreme Court trial will be televised.

[NJmaverick]

12. It's frustrating as hell, we were so close before A-hole christie came to power

[Canuckistanian]

7. So in NJ, the judicial branch is afraid of the legislative branch?

And the system is set up so that the Governor can replace a justice at any time?

That's a frightening situation by itself.

[NJmaverick]

9. They are afraid of the out of control terrible governor the idiots in our state elected

he has zero morals and ethics and is some how able to remove very qualified judges from the bench

[Scurrilous]

11. Thanks NJmaverick.

K & R :thumbsup: