U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

KARCHER - 'ABBOTT AUDIT REVEALS MAJOR FLAWS IN SYSTEM'

Senator Says Drastic Oversight, Potential Recovery of Misspent Funds Needed

TRENTON - Senator Ellen Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer, a leader in ethics reform in the State Legislature, issued the following statement on reports today that massive administrative failures in four of the State's Abbott school districts led to "reprehensible waste of taxpayer dollars":

"The news today that administrative failures have run up costs in four of the State-subsidized Abbott school districts is a shocking example of taxpayer dollars going to waste. At a time when legislators in Trenton are trying to trim the size of government and maximize efficiencies in State and local services, we need to crack down, hard, on those Abbott officials who, whether through incompetence or intentional fraud, have cost taxpayers across the State thousands, if not millions.

ALLEN CALLS FOR AN OPEN, HONEST AND TRANSPARENT DEBATE ON SUPREME COURTS RULING ON SAME SEX MARRIAGES

Senator Diane Allen, (R-7), sent a letter today to Senator Judiciary Committee Chairman John Adler asking that the Committee undertake a comprehensive and deliberative process in response to the decision of the Supreme Court in Lewis v. Harris. The letter is attached.

“t is deeply troubling that media reports seem to indicate that the leadership of both Houses of the Legislature want to conclude this matter, motivated only by political expediency, in the next six weeks, Allen stated. An issue of this importance must be debated in an open and transparent forum. Every opinion on all sides of this issue should be considered before the Legislature moves to satisfy the Supreme Court’s mandate.

Senator Joe Kyrillos, (R-13), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following statement after hearing testimony from Stuart Rabner the nominee for Attorney General.

During his testimony today Stuart Rabner confirmed my earlier statement that the Governor got it right this time. This is the nomination that should have been made last January.

For the past five years New Jersey has been plagued by scandal, corruption, bad economic numbers, and a government shutdown. It is a rare moment in time and is heartening that we can feel good about someone in a bipartisan – almost non partisan way - as is the case with this nominee.

I will continue to urge him to recruit and retain top talent to get the job done.

Senator Thomas H. Kean (R-Union/Essex/Morris/Somerset) issued the following statement on the nomination of Stuart Rabner to be the next Attorney General of the State of New Jersey:

Stuart Rabner is a nominee who brings a stellar reputation for honesty, probity and non-partisan respect for the law to the post of Attorney General. In light of unfortunate appointments of recent years, the Governor should be applauded for seeking an eminently qualified candidate for Attorney General who will embody the highest standards of ethical conduct.

As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I look forward to Mr. Rabner’s confirmation hearing, where I intend to engage him in a dialogue on issues of importance to the people of this State, such as enhancing our homeland security capabilities and restoring principled standards of behavior for State and local government officials.

KYRILLOS: RABNER IS RIGHT CHOICE FOR AG

Senator Joseph Kyrillos, (R-Monmouth/Middlesex), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee issued the following statement regarding the announcement that Stuart Rabner has been nominated to be the next Attorney General for the State of New Jersey:

"The Governor got it right this time. Stuart Rabner has impeccable credentials and the qualities needed to reinvigorate a department badly mismanaged for the last four years. This is the nomination that should have been made in the first place last January."

REPORT PROVES FARBER UNABLE TO CONTINUE AS ATTORNEY GENERAL
Resign or Be Removed

Senate Judiciary Committee member Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. (R-Monmouth/Middlesex) issued the following statement on the report of Special Deputy Attorney General Richard J. Williams on the conduct of Attorney General Zulima V. Farber at a traffic incident involving her live-in companion.

INVERSO ON BPU AUDIT:
Report Raises Questions About Ethical and Financial Wrongdoing

In response to the release of a long-suppressed audit of the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) Clean Energy Program conducted in 2004 by the State Department of the Treasury, Senator Peter Inverso, (R-Mercer/Middlesex), demanded that a thorough investigation be undertaken to determine whether any laws were broken by BPU officials.

Republican Judiciary Committee Members Letter to Chairman Adler

July 19, 2006

Honorable John H. Adler
Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee
1916 route 70 East, Suite 3
Cherry Hill, New Jersey 08003

Dear Senator Adler:

We the undersigned are writing to request that the Senate Judiciary Committee conduct hearings into allegations concerning Attorney General, Zulima V. Farber. As you are no doubt aware, media reports have indicated that the Attorney General may have inappropriately interfered in a traffic stop involving her companion, Hamlet Goore.

These allegations, if proved true, represent yet another in a long list of unprecedented problems and issues that have characterized the activities of certain Executive Branch officials over the last five years. The repeated failure of the Legislative Branch to exercise its constitutional oversight function in other episodes has had unfortunate ramifications for cause of honest government. However, this most recent incident touches upon the chief law enforcement officer of State Government, and as such, can not be ignored.

Despite the multiple failures of the past, we are nonetheless heartened by the fact that there appears to be growing bi-partisan sentiment to have the Senate Judiciary Committee take a more active role in the scandal involving the Attorney General. Both Senators Sarlo and Scutari have made public statements that appear to indicate a desire to, at the minimum, have the Attorney General appear before the committee to explain her actions, and submit to questioning by members of the committee. These statements, coupled with our request, indicate that a bi-partisan majority of the Senate Judiciary Committee supports a thorough review of this matter.

We also believe that it would be appropriate to invite Judge Richard Williams, the Special Prosecutor appointed by the Corzine Administration to investigate the Attorney General, to appear before the committee. Judge Williams can apprise the committee of the progress he has made in his preparations to investigate Attorney General Farber, the proposed timeline for his inquiry, and the method in which he intends to make his findings known. We would especially like to know whether he intends to transmit his findings to both Houses of the Legislature in the unfortunate event that it becomes necessary to proceed under Article VII, Section III of the State Constitution.

In closing, we believe that a thorough and complete review of this incident and resultant investigation involving the Attorney General would provide an opportunity to ensure the firm and decisive leadership that the people of New Jersey wish to see restored.

Thank you in advance for your timely consideration of our request. We look forward to your response.

Very truly yours,

Senator Gerald Cardinale Senator Joseph Kyrillos

Senator Thomas Kean

CORZINE’S TAKING A POSITIVE STEP IN APPOINTING JUDGE WILLIAMS

Senator Gerald Cardinale issued the following statement regarding the appointment of Judge Richard J. Williams to investigate a traffic stop in Bergen County involving Attorney General Zulima Farber’s live in boyfriend.

AG EPISODE SHOWS THAT NOTHING HAS CHANGED IN TRENTON
Outrage Growing Over Bergen Incident

Senate Judiciary Committee member Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. (R-Monmouth/Middlesex) issued the following statement in light of media reports that allege that the Attorney General attempted to intercede in a police investigation.