New Jersey Supreme Court justice confirmed

The New Jersey Senate has confirmed Gov. Chris Christie’s latest state Supreme Court nominee.

Walter Timpone was approved by a vote of 32-to-1 Monday without any debate on the Senate floor.

Sen. Loretta Weinberg cast the only dissenting vote.

She said Timpone was less than truthful when she questioned him about the way he recused himself from an Election Law Enforcement Commission investigation into the Essex County Executive.

“If that’s what he was going to do to make it onto the Supreme Court, I really have difficulty with what kind of a Supreme Court Justice he’s going to be,” said Weinberg, D-Begren. “He’s coming on under a cloud.”

Senate President Steve Sweeney said he was relieved the six-year battle to fill a vacancy on the state’s highest court is finally over.

“In the future when there’s another opening, we really have to make sure we focus on making sure we have African-American representation on the bench so the court itself is reflective of the people of the state,” said Sweeney, D-Gloucester.