New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy will deliver his eighth and final State of the State address on Tuesday, Jan. 14, setting out his agenda in his final year as governor. Now in his second term, Murphy is ineligible to run again this year.
“Over the past seven years, we have built a state that is stronger, fairer, and more prepared to face the future,” Murphy said. “But our job is far from over. As we begin our final year of partnership, we remain more committed than ever to delivering economic security and opportunity to every New Jerseyan. And over the next 12 months, we are going to run through the tape in making New Jersey the best state – anywhere in America – to live, work and raise a family.”
While the gubernatorial election gets underway, the NJSBA continues to monitor judicial vacancies, which have gone through sharp increases over the last seven years due to a number of issues including the pandemic. The Judiciary made an unprecedented decision to temporarily stop trials in civil and family law matters, which impacted not just NJSBA’s members, but litigants who are still wading through the delays caused by this crisis.
In 2021, the NJSBA issued a report addressing the inequities resulting from Madden assignments – the random assignment of attorneys to matters in which there is a right to counsel. S2437 (Mukherji)/A4471 (Ramirez) would place the largest share of these assignments under the auspices of the Office of the Public Defender. It enjoys wide support by the Public Defender, the Supreme Court, and county and affinity bars, but remains in flux while a funding source is secured.
In the final months of Murphy’s governorship, the NJSBA is prioritizing judicial nominations, access to effective legal representation for litigants who have a right to counsel, and issues impacting access to justice and the practice of law.
Timeline Moves Primary Election Date, Some Deadlines
The New Jersey Secretary of State posted the June 10 Primary Election Timeline in compliance with a new law that moves this year’s primary election one week, from June 3 to June 10, to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday, Shavuot. In a substitute bill that was ultimately sent to the governor, the bill proposes to move most deadlines, but not those for nominating petitions and vote by mail.
The new deadlines are posted here.