N.J. Senate panel won’t rush review of high court nominees

Gov. Chris Christie is pushing for quick action on his latest nominees for the New Jersey Supreme Court.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, said that’s not likely to happen.

Sen. Nick Scutari, who said he’ll take his time screening the nominees, said he’s concerned that they don’t have judicial experience.

“I want to know what their courtroom experience is. If you’re going to be sitting and overlook other judges on matters of significant importance for the state of New Jersey for years and years, I want to know how much time they’ve spent in the courtroom,” said Scutari, D-Union. “I want to know their views on certain issues.”

Nominee Phillip Kwon is an Asian American, and Bruce Harris is an openly gay African American.

Diversity should not be the litmus test for what makes a good judge, said Scutari.

He said he wants the best and the brightest on New Jersey’s highest court, and doesn’t know enough yet about the nominees to determine whether they should be confirmed.