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WHY ?? COAH , ABBOTT SCHOOLS TAX PAYERS WANT TO KNOW WHY ‘High-level’ talks could save N.J. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner

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WHY ?? COAH , ABBOTT SCHOOLS TAX PAYERS WANT TO KNOW WHY  ‘High-level’ talks could save N.J. Chief Justice Stuart Rabner

MAY 17, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014, 12:24 AM
BY CHARLES STILE
RECORD COLUMNIST
THE RECORD

Stuart Rabner, the chief justice of New Jersey whose position on the court may be in jeopardy, couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to defend his career and his style of jurisprudence.

Instead, he hawked a new “app” for lawyers.

“You can download it right now and see for yourself,” Rabner told an admiring crowd of 400 at the New Jersey Bar Association’s annual convention at the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City. “I won’t be offended.”

Rabner’s focus on high-tech seemed a bit misplaced, given that Governor Christie has made no secret of his displeasure with the chief justice and may deny him tenure. If that happens, Rabner would be the first chief justice in the modern court’s 67-year history to be ousted.

But there was a reason Rabner was studiously avoiding talking about the “elephant in the room” topic, as Paula Franseze, a Seton Hall law professor, described it. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, and Christie are discussing possible scenarios in which Rabner gets renominated — and receives tenure until he turns 70 in 2029. In exchange, Sweeney would agree to hold confirmation hearings on one or possibly two Christie choices for other open spots on the court now blocked by Democrats in the Senate who must approve nominees.

Both Sweeney and Christie’s offices refused to comment, but state Sen. Nicholas Scutari, the Union County Democrat who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Friday’s gathering that “high-level negotiations are under way.” He declined to elaborate.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-high-level-talks-could-save-n-j-chief-justice-stuart-rabner-1.1018088#sthash.vE9VGi9Q.dpuf