Gov. Chris Christie today sent notice to the state Senate that he intends to renominate three Superior Court judges -- Mitchel Ostrer, Diane Pincus and Joseph Rea -- for lifetime tenure on the bench.
With that, Christie will have renominated 12 of the 14 judges who were up for their tenure decision in 2010. Most famously, he didn't renominate Associate Justice John Wallace Jr., who left the Supreme Court in May. Also on his way out next week is Superior Court Judge James Morley.
Morley, 62, is the presiding judge of the Burlington County criminal courts. His reappointment had been in doubt over comments made at the sentencing of a 45-year-old teacher's aide who had sex with a 16-year-old student, as well for throwing out animal cruelty charges against a former Moorestown police officer who allegedly received oral sex from young cows because he said there was no way to prove the actions were actually cruel.
Morley's term expires June 17th.
The three judges being renominated are registered Democrats:
- Mitchel Ostrer, 56, of Princeton Township, a Mercer County criminal court judge.
- Diane Pincus, 54, of North Brunswick, a Middlesex County civil court judge.
- Joseph Rea, 45, of Piscataway, a Middlesex County civil court judge.
The Senate also voted Thursday to confirm the tenure appointments of Superior Court judges Dennis Carey, Frank Ciuffani, John Kennedy, Honora Kilgallen, Julie Marino and Ramona Santiago.
While Christie could nominate candidates to fill vacancies, he won't need to consider any further reappointments until late fall. Two judges -- Heidi Currier and Frederick Schuck -- are up for renomination in January, among 19 judges whose tenure decisions come in 2011, headed by Associate Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto of the state Supreme Court.
