News: POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: N.J. Supreme Court could help decide who controls the U.S. House

Friday, July 16, 2021

POLITICO New Jersey Playbook: N.J. Supreme Court could help decide who controls the U.S. House

Jul 16, 2021

Good Friday morning!

It's now up to the state Supreme Court to choose who will likely be the deciding vote on New Jersey's next congressional district map.

Democrats went with former state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace Jr., whose tenure refusal by former Gov. Chris Christie set off a feud between him and his often-allied South Jersey Democrats that left a vacancy on the court for years.

Republicans chose a much lower-profile contender to be the tie-breaking vote on the congressional redistricting commission : Retired state Superior Court Judge Marina Corodemus, who's managing partner of a law firm bearing her name and the sister of longtime former Republican Assemblymember Steve Corodemus.

So here's the thing: Three of the Supreme Court's seven current members served with Wallace and another, Lee Solomon, has many of the same allies. And Chief Justice Stuart Rabner is obviously fond of Wallace, having issued a rare statement in 2010 after Christie dropped him that called him "an intellectually honest, wise, and independent thinker, a fair-minded jurist, a gifted, thoughtful writer, and a model of integrity and character."

You would think the relationships make Wallace the frontrunner. But will the justices feel pressure not to appear to give way to favoritism? I don't know.

It's clear that one of these two people will have an enormously influential role to play that will shape not just New Jersey's House delegation, but potentially help decide control of the whole House, where Democrats hold just a nine-member majority.

Read more about it here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The Trentonian covers city council when only one of us says something wrong." — Trenton Councilmember Santiago Rodriguez on the council considering pulling public ads from the newspaper

WHERE'S MURPHY?: Back in New Jersey. Media: "Ask Governor Murphy" on News 12 at 4 p.m. — prime Friday afternoon TV watching time

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: PlayNJ reporter David Danzis, Saturday for AC Councilmember Kaleem Shabazz, Sunday for former DCA Commissioner Susan Bass Levin

WHAT TRENTON MADE

MOST DON'T EVEN KNOW JACK — "Will anyone care who Jack Ciattarelli picks as his running mate? Republicans will," by The Record's Charles Stile: "Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli is expected to unveil his choice of a running mate for lieutenant governor next Thursday … It's fair to say that the speculation over the selection has hardly been the talk of the State House … It hasn't exactly been a career stepping stone so far. Like the vice presidency, it's a job of ribbon cuttings, filling in for the boss and busy work (like Guadagno's 'red tape' commission). It comes with a decent $141,000 salary and some nice perks like a driver. But it usually ends up being a one-way ticket to the political bullpen."

AS IN POLLING PLACES, NOT DANCING — National Guard members could keep working the polls under proposal by top lawmakers, by POLITICO's Matt Friedman: The days of having plainclothes National Guard members work the polls may not be over — and they may get a pay bump. Just before the Legislature broke for the summer, the top Democrat and Republican in the state Senate together introduced a bill that would allow county elections officials to reach out to the National Guard for volunteer workers if they're short on civilian staff. The National Guard members would have to be in civilian clothing during the hours. In addition to their pay from the National Guard, the members would also get the poll workers' stipend — currently set at $200, though that would double under another bill passed by the Senate this summer, but awaits action in the Assembly. The bill, NJ S4059 is sponsored by state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. and Senate President Steve Sweeney.

STATE THAT COULD BARELY PASS WEED LEGALIZATION EAGER TO EXPAND ADDICTIVE PASTIME — "Esports advocates press to allow betting in N.J. and Pa. on video game contests," by The Philadelphia Inquirer's Andrew Maykuth: "Investors have put millions behind competitive video gaming. Public officials have enacted policies to attract esports to their states. Schools from Stockton University to Harrisburg University are scrambling to incorporate esports into their curricula. Despite the growing adoption of sports betting across the nation, gamblers in most states are barred from wagering on video gaming competitions because they don't qualify as sporting events. That seems to be changing. The New Jersey Senate in June unanimously endorsed a bill that expands the state gaming law to allow betting on any skill-based attraction, including esports, awards competitions and competitive eating contests. 'Esports is quickly emerging as an economic and cultural force on par with many other traditional sports, and it is important that New Jersey accommodate the many ways fans engage with their favorite teams and events,' New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David L. Rebuck said last year."

BECAUSE MURPHY'S STILL ALIVE? — "Over 2,200 NJ Transit bus trips were canceled in just two months. Why?" by The Asbury Park Press' Oliivia Liu : "To track disruptions for bus commuters, the Asbury Park Press downloaded and analyzed 3,966 tweets from @NJTRANSIT_SBUS, which sends alerts about buses from South Jersey, and @NJTRANSIT_NBUS, which sends alerts about buses from North Jersey. From May 1 through June 30 this year, the notices showed a near daily pattern of bus delays and cancellations caused by a lack of drivers and mechanics … NJ Transit operates an estimated 16,000 daily bus trips across New Jersey, according to NJ Transit spokeswoman Emma Wright. Ninety-seven percent of buses scheduled arrive on time. But the analysis found 2,216 bus trips of an estimated 976,000 scheduled to operate May through June did not run. Of the buses that did not operate, 246 bus trips were from north Jersey lines and 1,970 were from south Jersey lines. The majority of the south Jersey bus trips that did not operate clustered around Philadelphia and Trenton."

IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING UP FOR REELECTION I WOULD'VE LOOSENED REGULATIONS ON BAKING A CAKE — "N.J. ban on selling food you bake at home could be ending soon," by NJ Advance Media's Samantha Marcus: "New Jersey's 'underground' and would-be home bakers are celebrating an expected public health decision that will no longer make it illegal to simply sell cupcakes and brownies made in their own ovens. The state Department of Health is preparing to drop its blanket prohibition on home baking as a cottage industry and allow bakers to apply for permits to make (and subsequently sell) a variety of foods at home … The proposed cottage food operator regulations would allow bakers to make at home and sell directly to consumers: breads, cakes, cupcakes, cookies, pastries, candy, dried fruit, dried pasta, jams and jellies, fruit pies, fudge, granola, popcorn and caramel corn, roasted coffee, dried tea, pizzelles and more."

—"Murphy blasts Ciattarelli comments on LGBTQ school curriculum. How will it play in November?"

—"NJ changes course on opting out of regional power grid"

—"Are New Jersey's eviction protections enough?"

MEDIA MOVES — @SNietoMunoz: "... today is my last day at @njdotcom after four years! i'm so grateful for the time i spent here, the editors who worked with me & the colleagues who became my friends. i've learned so much here since my time as an intern to being a statehouse reporter!"

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

BIDEN TIME

IMMIGRATION — "Democrats look to infrastructure as last chance on immigration reform," by CNN's Lauren Fox, Daniella Diaz and Ali Zaslav : "After months of fruitless bipartisan talks, Democrats are turning their last hopes for immigration reform to an infrastructure bill and a complicated budget plan that has never before been tested. It's a massive gamble for a party that has been promising to deliver on immigration reform for more than a decade, but key advocates argue it is the last hope — potentially in this Congress — for anything to pass. Democrats are looking to set aside $120 billion for a pathway to citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, farm workers, essential workers and people with Temporary Protected Status, according to a source familiar with negotiations. But deciding who specifically will qualify for those protections is still a work in progress, sources say … The months ahead will force Democrats to decide how hard they want to push the issue. Sen. Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and an original co-sponsor of the bipartisan immigration bill from 2013, has been working with leadership to try and make the language as inclusive as possible."

THE POLITICS OF… WHATEVER TRUMP SAYS — " Kean embraces Trump's cult, tarnishing the family name," by The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran: "If Kean wanted to honor his father's legacy, he would have invited Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who was thrown out of the Republican leadership in May for daring to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election. That's the challenge thrown down by the Democratic incumbent, Rep. Tom Malinowski. Instead, Kean chose McCarthy, the man who led the charge against Cheney, who voted against certifying Joe Biden's win, who blocked plans for the bipartisan commission to examine the Jan. 6 riot, and who described federal aid to New Jersey during the pandemic as a 'blue-state bailout.' For McCarthy, Kean is a perfect choice. He can expect Kean to cast a few dissenting votes on issues important to New Jersey, like offshore oil drilling, and funding for the Hudson River tunnel. But McCarthy also knows that Kean is a timid character who will stick with the party when it counts, as Kean himself signaled with this joint appearance."

—"Donald Trump and Kevin McCarthy meet in Bedminster as 1/6 committee hearing looms"

—"Imani Oakley and her strategy of ballot design education"

LOCAL

LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE FORGOT TO ALLOCATE COVID FUNDS FOR A NEW BELLEVILLE SENIOR CENTER — "In break from Dems, Belleville Mayor Melham backing Ciattarelli," by InsiderNJ's Max Pizarro: "Belleville Mayor Michael Melham backs Jack Ciattarelli for governor, according to a cocktail party invitation that includes North Arlington Republican Mayor Daniel Pronti. Melham, a registered independent of a fiercely individuated town in a county Democratic stronghold, fought the establishment to land a seat in City Hall in a 2018 nonpartisan election. He's never been a Democrat, and prides himself on running and winning as an independent. But his town's proximity to the Dem Party throne room and its presence in a heavily Democratic legislative district (the 29th) sends party members squirming whenever he zigzags politically — like now."

ADMINISTRATOR'S GAMBIT ON ROGUE SPEAKER — "Sound engineer says he was warned of 'rogue' speaker ahead of Eastern graduation," by The Courier-Post's Carly Q. Romalino: "Hours before Eastern Camden County Regional High School's commencement, the ceremony's sound engineer says he was warned by the school's principal: 'We might have a rogue speaker. If that happens, cut the mic immediately,' Joe Werner recalls being told. Despite a statement from the school district late Wednesday claiming no district administrator believed any speaker would veer from school-approved remarks, the owner of J. Werner Production says the principal twice told him to be ready to cut the mic and sat a vice principal next to the sound control board just in case. 'I think he had this plan in mind the whole time,' said Werner of Principal Robert Tull. Footage of Bryce Dershem's interrupted valedictorian speech made headlines in late June, a week after the June 17 ceremony."

ENGLEWOOD OFF THE CLIFF — "In Englewood Cliffs, an attorney quits and a councilman fights a harassment complaint," by The Record's Katie Sobko: "An eventful council meeting Wednesday featured squabbling between the mayor and a councilman accused of harassment; a motion to put the borough administrator on leave; and talk about replacing a borough lawyer who had abruptly quit. It was punctuated by a five-minute recess called because the borough administrator said she felt threatened. The session was just the latest chapter in a saga that has included a raft of lawsuits, resignations and costly court battles over affordable housing in the borough."

IS THERE ANY OTHER NEW YORK? — Vice just released a 45-minute documentary on the West New York police corruption scandal of the late 90s. Watch it here.

—"Fulop, Baraka & Gill: This dream of an Essex-Hudson Greenway is slipping away | Opinion"

—" New prosecutor is [Union County's] first permanent chief law enforcement officer since 2013"

—"Toms River passes weed business ban, but it could expire Dec. 31"

—" West Cape May the latest to OK cannabis sales"

—"Paterson Board of Education opposes city plan for recreational marijuana"

—" Asbury Park library director used blank, signed checks to make unauthorized purchases, board claims"

—"Every Atlantic City Boardwalk pizza place, ranked"

SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. The Recast is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy in America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel.

EVERYTHING ELSE

HIGHER ED — Former Stockton performing arts director sues university for age, sex discrimination, by POLITICO's Carly Sitrin: The former director of Stockton University's Performing Arts Center is suing the school for alleged age and sex discrimination. Suze DiPietro filed a complaint in Atlantic County Superior Court on July 1 against Stockton and Lisa Honaker, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities who oversees the center. DiPietro, who was 60 years old when she was laid off in October 2020, says she was fired because of her gender and replaced by younger, male employees with less experience. According to the suit, Honaker on one occasion "accosted" DiPietro in her office saying, "I don't give a f--- about you. I don't give a f--- about the arts. I don't give a f--- about the PAC! And, no, I don't care how you feel," or words to that effect.

THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES — "'It's sad and unbelievable': Nabisco to bake its last cookies in Fair Lawn on Friday," by The Record's Shaylah Brown: "Friday will mark the end of an era in Fair Lawn, when Mondelēz will shut down production at the Nabisco factory for good, ending the bakery's more than six decades in town. The closure has been underway for months, yet many in the area still feel a sense of shock. Residents have for years enjoyed the sweet aroma of baking cookies that drifted from the factory on Route 208, knowing that Oreos, Ritz crackers, and other beloved snacks were coming out of a massive oven the length of a football field and rolling down the assembly line. Often those treats were being made by a neighbor —many of the approximately Nabisco 600 workers lived in the Fair Lawn area. That assembly line is stopping."

—"Hackensack Meridian to require all doctors, nurses and staff to get COVID vaccine"

Follow us on Twitter