John Wallace

Many times on this page we lamented the fact that Gov. Christie first decided not to renominate Justice John Wallace, Jr. (Democrat) and then Justice Helen Hoens (Republican) for tenure on the New Jersey Supreme Court. We, as well as many others in this state, were worried about the short-term effect on the operation and morale of the sitting members of the judiciary, as well as on potential future judges. In addition, there were concerns about a future Democratic governor engaging in a retaliatory tit-for-tat decision not to renominate Gov.r Christie's nominees when they came up for tenure.

Based on this history, we are very pleased by the following recommendations to Gov. Murphy in the Report of the Law and Justice Transition Advisory Committee, dated Jan. 1, 2018, to “[r]eaffirm the long-standing historical practices of prior New Jersey governors of re-nominating for tenure judges and justices appointed by predecessor governors as long as they are objectively deemed qualified;” return to the practice of “ensuring that no more than 4 members of the Supreme Court are of the same political party;” maintaining political balance on other courts; reestablishing the “Hughes Compact” in which the Bar Association “has a nonpartisan role in reviewing judicial and prosecutorial candidates;” pursuing diversity in judicial nominations; and examining judicial salaries. The last of these recommendations is already implemented (editorial).

These are extremely important recommendations to the governor, and implementing them will ensure to the benefit of all New Jersey residents. The independence of the judiciary, shaken but not destroyed under Gov. Christie, is important to everyone who needs the governmental services provided by our courts. It is our strong recommendation that Gov. Murphy implement all of them.