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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New Jersey's ‘county line' is gone. But the fight over its constitutionality continues.
For the first time in decades, the ballot design that helped political bosses cement their power over New Jersey politics won't be used by either party in next month's crowded primary election for governor. But the progressives who shocked the state's political world by ending the so-called county line a year ago now say they're worried some aspects of it could return — and that only a federal court ruling will kill it off forever. Without that, the left-leaning Democrats say, New Jersey's entrenched powers will do everything they can to chip away at truly open primaries. A long-running legal battle over the line's constitutionality continues to play out in federal court, with lawyers for the progressive plaintiffs — who include Democratic Sen. Andy Kim and the New Jersey Working Families Party — calling for a final decision on the matter. But two county clerks and one local party organization — all Democrats — remain opposed. 'The county line system is part of our political past,' Kim said in a statement. 'I want to make sure it's understood to be unconstitutional so it will never come back.' For decades, county party-endorsed primary candidates in most New Jersey counties were placed in the same row or column of the ballot, from president to local council member and even the neighborhood Democratic committee member. Rival candidates running without a slate of allies often found themselves pushed into obscure parts of the ballot known as 'ballot Siberia.' Those ballot placements often virtually determined election outcomes, giving the party leaders enormous sway with their endorsements. That came to an end in the 2024 Democratic Senate primary following Kim's lawsuit, which largely mirrored but quickened a slow-moving 2020 suit by several unsuccessful Democratic candidates. U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi in March 2024 issued a preliminary injunction barring the line, but only for the Democrats. In response to the decision, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in March signed a new ballot design law that mandates primary candidates from both parties be grouped by office sought instead of establishment party support and barred county clerks from separating candidates from others running for the same office. But opponents of the line are concerned that future legislation could chip away at the law's anti-line provisions and that local officials will find loopholes in the law that could be avoided with clear court precedent. 'The legislation went a very far way in making sure we don't vet the worst features of the county line,' said Antoinette Miles, executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. 'But if we want to make sure we never go back to the same tricks and ballot manipulation we saw with the county line, we need a final court decision.' The absence of the line has played a big role in creating one of the most competitive Democratic gubernatorial primaries in years. Rep. Mikie Sherrill's support from some of the most powerful Democratic organizations in the state, including Essex and Middlesex counties, would normally make her the overwhelming favorite. Instead, Sherrill is the narrow front-runner, with her five rivals — Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller — all having at least somewhat realistic paths to the nomination. (The Republican primary for governor is less crowded and, based on limited public polling, less competitive.) The line itself was a big issue in last year's Senate primary leading up to the law abolishing it. Fulop and Baraka came out aggressively against it, while Gottheimer helped hook Middlesex County Democrats up with a prominent attorney who briefly sought to defend it. Months before New Jersey enacted the new law, most of the county clerks who were defendants in the case settled and agreed to get rid of the line. But the Bergen and Union county clerks have refused to settle, while the Camden County Democratic Committee — the dominant party in the county responsible for some of the most egregious examples of ballot design that favored the party-backed candidates — continues to back them in court. The two clerks' attorneys argued in a recent court filing that the plaintiffs keep pressing the case because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that they're entitled to legal fees from their adversaries only if they win a final ruling. The clerks, who said that the other 17 county clerks who settled had paid approximately $500,000 in legal fees to the plaintiffs' attorneys, don't want to pay. 'Plaintiffs seek to permanently enjoin a law that is no longer on the books because the Union and Bergen County Clerks had the temerity not to agree to use county taxpayer dollars to pay Plaintiffs' counsel's fees for having simply followed State law as it existed at the time," they wrote. The Camden County Democratic Committee argued the case is moot and that the original plaintiffs aren't harmed in part because they no longer had a personal stake in the outcome. The defendants never had a chance to depose the plaintiffs' witnesses who testified in favor of a preliminary injunction, they said, and that Quraishi's initial decision harms them because it applied only to Democrats, not Republicans. But the Camden County Democrats went even further, continuing to argue that grouping candidates together by party endorsement is their constitutional right. 'Imposing limitations on political party organizations who wish to band together, i.e., bracket, while placing no restrictions on individuals acting alone, i.e., unbracketed, is a restraint on a political party organization's freedom of association,' reads their brief. The plaintiffs, who alleged that the county clerks are effectively outsourcing the constitutional arguments in the case to the Camden County Democrats, say there's much more at stake than legal fees. They argued ballot design law did not entirely follow Quraishi's initial decision, including by allowing candidates running for multi-seat offices like state Assembly and county commissioner to 'bracket,' and that some clerks' ballot designs for this primary 'don't conform with the spirit and intent of this Court's prior rulings' or even the new law. They noted that on the Cherry Hill ballot, the Camden County Clerk provided just one oval to vote for an entire slate of 74 Democratic committee candidates instead of allowing voters to pick each candidate, which they said violates the law's 'express mandate that every candidate have an oval or box next to their own name.' (The clerk's office said that listing each candidate with an oval next to their names would make it impossible to fit on a single page of paper.) Yael Bromberg, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said a final judgment is 'necessary to protect current and future voting rights in the state.' 'It's time to put an end to the splurge of taxpayer-funded defense of a 75-year old ballot design which enabled a politics of exclusion and soft corruption, and turn a new page for democracy in New Jersey,' Bromberg said. Attorney Angelo Genova, who represents Union County, declined to comment, while attorney Bill Tambussi, who represents the Camden County Democrats, did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. Even the full return of the county line, while unlikely due to the state law, is not completely out of the question. Republican county parties sat on the sidelines during the battle over the line, but there's been chatter among county GOP chairs about backing an effort to bring back the county line, despite the new state law outlawing it. Morris County Republican Chair Laura Ali, who leads the association of 21 New Jersey GOP chairs, acknowledged to POLITICO that she'd like to bring back the line but wants to wait for the outcome of the primary before discussing it in detail with other party leaders. 'After the election at our next meeting I'm sure we'll all discuss the outcome of the election and the benefits of the ballot in its current format … and we'll go from there,' Ali said.
Politico
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
New Jersey's ‘county line' is gone. But the fight over its constitutionality continues.
For the first time in decades, the ballot design that helped political bosses cement their power over New Jersey politics won't be used by either party in next month's crowded primary election for governor. But the progressives who shocked the state's political world by ending the so-called county line a year ago now say they're worried some aspects of it could return — and that only a federal court ruling will kill it off forever. Without that, the left-leaning Democrats say, New Jersey's entrenched powers will do everything they can to chip away at truly open primaries. A long-running legal battle over the line's constitutionality continues to play out in federal court, with lawyers for the progressive plaintiffs — who include Democratic Sen. Andy Kim and the New Jersey Working Families Party — calling for a final decision on the matter. But two county clerks and one local party organization — all Democrats — remain opposed. 'The county line system is part of our political past,' Kim said in a statement. 'I want to make sure it's understood to be unconstitutional so it will never come back.' For decades, county party-endorsed primary candidates in most New Jersey counties were placed in the same row or column of the ballot, from president to local council member and even the neighborhood Democratic committee member. Rival candidates running without a slate of allies often found themselves pushed into obscure parts of the ballot known as 'ballot Siberia.' Those ballot placements often virtually determined election outcomes, giving the party leaders enormous sway with their endorsements. That came to an end in the 2024 Democratic Senate primary following Kim's lawsuit, which largely mirrored but quickened a slow-moving 2020 suit by several unsuccessful Democratic candidates. U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi in March 2024 issued a preliminary injunction barring the line, but only for the Democrats. In response to the decision, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in March signed a new ballot design law that mandates primary candidates from both parties be grouped by office sought instead of establishment party support and barred county clerks from separating candidates from others running for the same office. But opponents of the line are concerned that future legislation could chip away at the law's anti-line provisions and that local officials will find loopholes in the law that could be avoided with clear court precedent. 'The legislation went a very far way in making sure we don't vet the worst features of the county line,' said Antoinette Miles, executive director of the New Jersey Working Families Party. 'But if we want to make sure we never go back to the same tricks and ballot manipulation we saw with the county line, we need a final court decision.' The absence of the line has played a big role in creating one of the most competitive Democratic gubernatorial primaries in years. Rep. Mikie Sherrill's support from some of the most powerful Democratic organizations in the state, including Essex and Middlesex counties, would normally make her the overwhelming favorite. Instead, Sherrill is the narrow front-runner, with her five rivals — Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, former state Senate President Steve Sweeney and New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller — all having at least somewhat realistic paths to the nomination. (The Republican primary for governor is less crowded and, based on limited public polling, less competitive.) The line itself was a big issue in last year's Senate primary leading up to the law abolishing it. Fulop and Baraka came out aggressively against it, while Gottheimer helped hook Middlesex County Democrats up with a prominent attorney who briefly sought to defend it. Months before New Jersey enacted the new law, most of the county clerks who were defendants in the case settled and agreed to get rid of the line. But the Bergen and Union county clerks have refused to settle, while the Camden County Democratic Committee — the dominant party in the county responsible for some of the most egregious examples of ballot design that favored the party-backed candidates — continues to back them in court. The two clerks' attorneys argued in a recent court filing that the plaintiffs keep pressing the case because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that they're entitled to legal fees from their adversaries only if they win a final ruling. The clerks, who said that the other 17 county clerks who settled had paid approximately $500,000 in legal fees to the plaintiffs' attorneys, don't want to pay. 'Plaintiffs seek to permanently enjoin a law that is no longer on the books because the Union and Bergen County Clerks had the temerity not to agree to use county taxpayer dollars to pay Plaintiffs' counsel's fees for having simply followed State law as it existed at the time,' they wrote. The Camden County Democratic Committee argued the case is moot and that the original plaintiffs aren't harmed in part because they no longer had a personal stake in the outcome. The defendants never had a chance to depose the plaintiffs' witnesses who testified in favor of a preliminary injunction, they said, and that Quraishi's initial decision harms them because it applied only to Democrats, not Republicans. But the Camden County Democrats went even further, continuing to argue that grouping candidates together by party endorsement is their constitutional right. 'Imposing limitations on political party organizations who wish to band together, i.e., bracket, while placing no restrictions on individuals acting alone, i.e., unbracketed, is a restraint on a political party organization's freedom of association,' reads their brief. The plaintiffs, who alleged that the county clerks are effectively outsourcing the constitutional arguments in the case to the Camden County Democrats, say there's much more at stake than legal fees. They argued ballot design law did not entirely follow Quraishi's initial decision, including by allowing candidates running for multi-seat offices like state Assembly and county commissioner to 'bracket,' and that some clerks' ballot designs for this primary 'don't conform with the spirit and intent of this Court's prior rulings' or even the new law. They noted that on the Cherry Hill ballot, the Camden County Clerk provided just one oval to vote for an entire slate of 74 Democratic committee candidates instead of allowing voters to pick each candidate, which they said violates the law's 'express mandate that every candidate have an oval or box next to their own name.' (The clerk's office said that listing each candidate with an oval next to their names would make it impossible to fit on a single page of paper.) Yael Bromberg, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said a final judgment is 'necessary to protect current and future voting rights in the state.' 'It's time to put an end to the splurge of taxpayer-funded defense of a 75-year old ballot design which enabled a politics of exclusion and soft corruption, and turn a new page for democracy in New Jersey,' Bromberg said. Attorney Angelo Genova, who represents Union County, declined to comment, while attorney Bill Tambussi, who represents the Camden County Democrats, did not respond to a phone call seeking comment. Even the full return of the county line, while unlikely due to the state law, is not completely out of the question. Republican county parties sat on the sidelines during the battle over the line, but there's been chatter among county GOP chairs about backing an effort to bring back the county line, despite the new state law outlawing it. Morris County Republican Chair Laura Ali, who leads the association of 21 New Jersey GOP chairs, acknowledged to POLITICO that she'd like to bring back the line but wants to wait for the outcome of the primary before discussing it in detail with other party leaders. 'After the election at our next meeting I'm sure we'll all discuss the outcome of the election and the benefits of the ballot in its current format … and we'll go from there,' Ali said.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newark mayor celebrates nod from progressive groups in bid to become governor
Ras Baraka continues to claim the progressive lane in the six-person race for the Democratic nomination for governor. (Illustration by Alex Cochran for New Jersey Monitor/Baraka photo by Fran Baltzer) Newark Mayor Ras Baraka joined members of major progressive organizations in New Brunswick Monday to celebrate their decision last week to endorse his gubernatorial bid. Baraka, on his third term as mayor of New Jersey's largest city, has made a push to claim the progressive lane in the crowded race to become New Jersey's next governor as he vies with five other Democrats to win their party's nomination on June 10. He has rallied with protestors outside a planned immigrant jail in Newark, said the state should discuss reparations for slavery, and pushed for a universal basic income. And on Monday he called for 'economic prosperity for all working families' alongside members of his new progressive backers, including the New Jersey Working Families Party, New Jersey Citizen Action, and Make the Road Action. 'This is not only our chance to push back against the failed and bankrupt and racist policies of Donald Trump, but it's also an opportunity for us to build the democracy we want to see in New Jersey, to build economic prosperity for all working families so they're not crushed by medical bills, they're not crushed by housing costs, not crushed by inequality and lack of opportunity,' Baraka told an excited crowd outside a union building off the Rutgers University campus. There are few public polls that have gauged Baraka's support compared to his Democratic rivals. But a March 5 Fairleigh Dickinson University poll measuring the candidates' favorability put Baraka on top with self-described progressives, with Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop tied for second. The other three Democrats in the race — Rep. Josh Gottheimer, teachers union chief Sean Spiller, and ex-state Sen. Steve Sweeney — were further behind. Dan Cassino, director of the poll, said Baraka has taken a simple path to win the support of progressives: going far to the left of the median progressive. But Cassino said it's unclear what will matter more to progressive voters — progressive policies or opposition to the establishment. If progressive voters are mad about Trump's policies, that may play out in Baraka's favor, while Fulop may gain if more of them are upset about Democrats not standing up to Trump, Cassino said. Fulop has campaigned as an alternative to Democratic machine politics. 'If the race is framed around policy arguments, Baraka is likely to do very well, as his policy stances are rather to the left of his competitors,' Cassino said. 'But we've seen that Fulop is doing his best to frame the race around opposition to the institutional party: if that's what people are using to make their decisions, he's likely to do better.' Fulop, the three-term mayor of the state's second-largest city, has touted his 'smart, progressive leadership,' but on Monday said he doesn't define his campaign as a progressive one, adding that he wants to win over moderate Democrats. 'We've been tremendously responsible on the financial front, how we think about housing, how we think about driving costs — so I think our campaign is a little different,' he said. 'It is the broadest breadth of a coalition of anybody, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to peg us in one corner.' Fulop brushed off the endorsements Baraka cinched from progressive groups, calling it 'fine.' Tens of millions of dollars will be spent in the primary, Fulop said, and no single organization will influence the outcome. Fulop said he wants to be the candidate with the most detailed policies. Appearing near his childhood home in Edison Monday, he discussed his new plan to make New Jersey more affordable, with ideas ranging from consolidating municipal resources to overhauling the nascent Stay NJ tax cut program for seniors. Fulop did not mention Trump during his event, while Baraka made Trump's economic policies and billionaire allies a focal point of his own rally. Baraka said voters are looking for leadership and conversations instead of wonky politician-speak that makes them feel left out. 'If policy was how you win elections, Elizabeth Warren would be on her second term,' he said. 'The reality is, people need leadership. They need your voice. They need your action. They need you to inspire them. They need hope.' Cassino believes the fight over the progressive voting bloc is 'less about policy than it is about framing.' 'The question of who most appeals to progressive voters is a question of what concerns are on top of mind among voters at that moment,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Politico
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Democrats don't rush to defend Platkin
Good Monday morning! First, let me make this much clear: The odds that the Assembly votes to impeach Attorney General Matt Platkin are virtually nil. One Democratic leader in a position to know, who did not want to go on the record, made that clear to me. Assembly Republicans' impeachment resolution is a sort of throw-everything-at-the-wall effort that lists a lot of criticism of Platkin's office but nothing that can realistically be construed as a crime. And Democrats aren't going to want to provoke progressives more than they already have by going after the official who is effectively New Jersey Democrats' point man against President Trump. And has anyone even been impeached in New Jersey before? I reached out to two New Jersey constitutional experts — Ronald Chen and John Farmer Jr. — and neither could recall an instance. But don't mistake the lack of will to impeach Platkin for Democratic support. Top Democrats' silence in response to the GOP impeachment resolution tells you all you need to know about how they feel about him. I asked the assembly speaker and senate president about it. Both declined to comment. I asked the governor's office, a spokesperson for which in a statement dismissed the resolution as a 'political stunt' but didn't proactively add any defense of Platkin. (I didn't specifically ask them if they thought the criticism was fair). Sen. Andy Kim has had the most forceful defense of Platkin. And progressive leaders who sent a letter to all 120 lawmakers urging them to stick up for Platkin? 'As far as I saw in my inbox, it didn't get any response from Democrats or Republicans,' Antoinette Miles of the New Jersey Working Families Party, who helped organize it, told me. This is another sore point between progressives and Democratic officials. It has been the party's left flank, not conservatives, who were the loudest opposition to Democratic lawmakers paring down OPRA, gutting campaign finance laws and defending the county line. But with a new governor coming, Democrats are probably more inclined to wait this one out. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Angela McKnight, Nohemi Soria-Perez WHERE'S MURPHY? No public schedule QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'If possible, I'm asking you to temporarily switch your party affiliation from Republican to Democrat so you can vote for my Assembly candidates. If you'd like, I will help switch you back to Republican the day after the primary.' — Union City Mayor/state Sen. Brian Stack, in a letter to registered Republicans in his district WHAT TRENTON MADE BARAKA — A proudly progressive mayor running for NJ governor could be getting an unlikely boost from Trump, by POLITICO's Madison Fernandez and Daniel Han: Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is making a bet on progressivism in the race for governor of New Jersey. President Donald Trump seems to be helping his cause. Baraka, the longtime mayor of New Jersey's most populous city, is one of six candidates running for the Democratic nod in this year's high-stakes race for governor. He is one of the most progressive elected Democrats in the nation — and is leaning into those liberal values and an anti-Trump messaging strategy in an attempt to stand out from the field. It could be paying off. … His repeated attacks on Trump and Trump's policies — especially moves on immigration — appear to be buoying Baraka's candidacy. And Baraka thinks that's proof other members of his party are approaching the Trump era all wrong. 'I think that they're playing into the national kind of sentiment, the Democratic sentiment that Trump has won and we need to placate him and move toward the middle,' Baraka said in an interview. 'I think that's wrong — a losing strategy. I think it's a losing strategy in New Jersey in November, and it's a losing strategy in the country during the midterms.' R.I.P. — 'Newark detective shot to death in car, 2nd officer wounded. 14-year-old charged with murder,' by NJ Advance Media's AJ McDougall and Anthony Attrino: 'A Newark police detective investigating a group believed to have illegal guns Friday night was shot to death before he could get out of his vehicle and a second officer was wounded, authorities said. A 14-year-old, whose name was not released because of his age, is facing charges of murder, attempted murder and weapons offenses. Five people are in custody and being questioned … Joseph Azcona, 26, a five-year veteran of the department, was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark early Saturday. Azcona was surrounded by his mother, father and five brothers, officials said during a press conference Saturday morning. 'He was shot before he even had the opportunity to leave his police car,' said Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens. The second officer wounded in the shooting is expected to recover, officials said.' — 'Newark detective shot to death honored by fellow officers in solemn escort to funeral home' WHEN YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING SUED OVER A BAD POLL — 'Monmouth University will shutter its gold-standard polling institute,' by New Jersey Globe's Joey Fox and David Wildstein: 'Monmouth University is planning to imminently shutter its lauded polling institute, sources with direct knowledge of the matter have told the New Jersey Globe, robbing New Jersey and the nation of one of its premier pollsters. Patrick Murray, the polling institute's director, declined to comment. A Monmouth University press contact did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Murray, a former pollster at the Rutgers University Eagleton Poll, left to join Monmouth University in 2005, and in the following 20 years built the university's fledgling polling institute into one of the most well-respected pollsters in the nation. The institute, which conducted polls of both New Jersey races and national elections, was consistently rated as an A+ pollster by FiveThirtyEight and was treated as New Jersey's 'gold standard' poll. But in recent years, sources told the Globe, administrators at Monmouth University had begun considering whether the polling institute was worth continuing to support. Some university leaders felt it was losing too much money while not attracting enough students, and any poll that Monmouth released that ultimately ended up being inaccurate — always a hazard of the polling trade — was seen as a possible stain on the university's image.' TRUMPED — 'Trump casts a long shadow over a governor's race,' by The New York Times' Tracey Tully: 'There are plenty of thorny policy issues facing the next governor of New Jersey. Housing and health care costs are high. Mass transit is on the ropes. Schools are among the most segregated in the country, and sea levels along the state's 130-mile coastline are rising. But on the campaign trail, nearly all the candidates in both parties have been forced to focus heavily on another topic altogether: President Trump. He has dominated the rhetoric at Republican and Democratic debates. His photograph has been featured prominently in ads for candidates competing for their party's nomination in June. At forums that draw each side's most energized base of supporters, he is either the standard-bearer or the bête noir. Some candidates have even laced their comments with curse words in an apparent effort to emulate Mr. Trump's blunt speaking style.' SERVICE TO AUTOMATICALLY IMPROVE BY 3% EACH YEAR — 'NJ Transit proposes $3.2 billion budget with automatic 3% fare hike,' by NJ Advance Media's Larry Higgs: 'NJ Transit has proposed a $3.2 billion operating budget for the 2026 fiscal year budget that for the first time would include an automatic 3% fare hike to take effect this year. The budget represents a 5% increase from the current spending plan. It has several firsts, including the first revenues from Gov. Phil Murphy's Corporate Transit Fee, which allowed NJ Transit to avoid a predicted fiscal cliff of $766 million. NJ Transit riders will see the first annual automatic 3% fare increase, joining drivers who are also paying more.' CASSINO ON CASINOS — 'Majority of people in NJ favor limits on sports betting ads, poll finds,' by The Record's Daniel Munoz: 'The new FDU poll, whose results were released Friday, found that 76% of New Jersey voters favor a limit on gambling ads. Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independent voters all felt the same way. Men and women, and Black, white and Hispanic voters all also agreed that there ought to be limits, as did voters in every age group … 'If either party is looking for a slam dunk issue in New Jersey, this is it,' said Dan Cassino, executive director of the FDU Poll.' SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN — 'How a showcase prosecution collapsed for New Jersey's AG,' by Law360's George Woolston: 'New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin took a risk that backfired when he used over 100 pages to lay out his case accusing George E. Norcross III, one of the Garden State's most influential businessmen, of leading a racketeering enterprise to deepen his commercial footprint in a struggling city. Former prosecutors and white collar trial attorneys say Mercer County Superior Court Judge Peter Warshaw's decision last week to toss the high-profile corruption case in its entirety, ruling that the state failed to allege a single crime in the indictment's 112 pages, was a 'self-inflicted wound' by the government that now will be difficult to heal on appeal. The loss for Platkin's office may also be a setback to his career, as he's now facing an ouster bid by critics who liken the Norcross indictment to weaponization of his authority. 'The dismissal was a self-inflicted wound on the part of the government because of their decision to not only use a speaking indictment — which is kind of a tool that prosecutors can deploy — but to use it full bore,' said Daniel H. Ahn, former prosecutor and partner in Reed Smith LLP's regulatory and investigations practice group.' — Gottheimer outlines sweeping plan to lower costs — 'Sarah McBride weighs in on the N.J. governor race endorsing Mikie Sherrill' — 'Fulop: 'Our intent is to explore litigation' after Murphy signed ballot redesign bill' — 'Governor's race: No winner in Ocean County' — 'Fred Daibes gets 3 years for fraud, to be served concurrent with 7-year bribery sentence' — 'Gov. Murphy's potential successors explain their budget priorities if elected governor' — 'New report reveals backroom E-ZPass deal' — Bashaw: 'We can end New Jersey's self-inflicted energy crisis. This is how' TRUMP ERA — Snowflack: 'Anti-Trump rally hardly a PG-sport' — 'Murphy to seek federal money to help with Route 80 sinkhole crisis' — 'NJ college faculty protest cuts to science research funding by Trump administration' — 'Billy Prempeh will challenge Nellie Pou once again in Trump-won 9th District' — 'How many NJ offices did DOGE close? See the list here' LOCAL ARE YOU TELLING ME THESE MOMS ARE NOT ACTUALLY FOR LIBERTY? — 'Park Ridge church receives threats after Moms for Liberty posts photo of its Pride flag,' by The Record's Matt Cortina and Philip DeVencentis: 'The First Congressional United Church of Christ in Park Ridge told its congregation this weekend that it had received threats stemming from a social media post by the head of the Bergen County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a group known for opposing inclusive curricula in school and supporting book bans. The post by local chapter chair Alexandra Bougher, later deleted, included a photo of the church's Progress Pride flag and commentary from Bougher suggesting that it promotes pedophilia. The flag in question is an intersex inclusive Progress Pride flag, but the post — and many of its comments — suggested that it included support for 'minor-attracted persons,' which is not true. In its statement, the church said it alerted authorities when 'one commentator suggested the only way to deal with us was with 'gasoline and a match.'' ... Neither Bougher nor anyone from the national headquarters of Moms for Liberty responded to multiple requests for comment.' SPARKLING WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE — 'Pellegrini suit alleging Hoboken corruption dismissed after his embezzlement plea,' by Hudson County View's John Heinis: 'Former Hoboken Health and Human Services Director Leo Pellegrini's civil lawsuit alleging quid pro quo, retaliation, and defamation has been dismissed following his guilty plea to embezzlement in December … The lawsuit made allegations of quid pro quo, retaliation, and defamation related to Mayor Ravi Bhalla and his administration. In one instance, the suit claimed that a cannabis dispensary, Nature's Touch, was never allowed to open since it was too close to Story Dispensary, which is located in a building co-owned by Jaclyn Fulop, the wife of Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop. 'For years the Hudson County machine and power brokers in NJ have tried every dirty trick imaginable to damage my reputation and as time goes on again and again we see that what they say is just false. I knew from the beginning this was another political stunt and I'm glad the public can now see that clearly,' Mayor Fulop told HCV.' — 'Raises of 17% and 20% push Paterson admin salaries over $100K' — 'Paterson looks to boost its number of female police officers' — 'Proposed Ocean City luxury hotel wins backing of boardwalk merchants' — 'Competing groups fight over right to hold July Peruvian Day Parade in Clifton' — 'Months pass with no update on Upper Township mercury investigation' EVERYTHING ELSE CARDINAL SIN — 'The Catholic church's secret quest to quash clergy abuse investigation,' by The Record's Deena Yellin: 'Among the details revealed by the court documents is that even as a flurry of briefings were submitted to the trial court, more than 550 phone calls had come into the state's 24-hour Task Force hotline with callers 'who alleged sexual, physical, verbal and mental abuse by clergy dating back to the 1940s and continuing to the recent past. The calls also detailed actions by Church officials to conceal misconduct, such as shuffling accused priests among parishes and promoting clergy who molested children,' according to the state's brief. At least four clergy have been arrested. 'I'm glad the Supreme Court saw fit to release this. It should never have been sealed,' said Mark Crawford, state director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests or SNAP. 'The victims were starting to give up hope about the truth ever coming out.'' KNOXIOUS — 'Anthony Knox Jr.'s tainted wrestling title epitomizes all that's wrong in high school sports,' by NJ Advance Media's Steve Politi: 'The referee raised Anthony Knox Jr.'s right fist in the air on Saturday afternoon as a state champion — the same fist, police say, that the wrestler used to 'repeatedly' punch a minor at a tournament just two weeks ago. Go ahead. Let that one sink in. Even in the win-at-all-costs culture that has swallowed high school sports in a way that has made them unrecognizable from a generation ago, the moment was hard to fathom. Is this how far an enterprise that was once built around teaching young people life values has fallen? Is this really what we want? The athletes watching at Boardwalk Hall learned some important lessons as Knox became just the fifth four-time state champion in New Jersey history. They discovered that sportsmanship is a quaint idea from another time. They saw that the right lawyer and the wrong judge can get a person out of anything.' THINGS YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY OUT LOUD — 'Fulop protege who urged staff to lie to media suspended after 900k jury verdict,' by The Jersey City Times' Aaron Morrill: 'Brian Platt, a former protege of Mayor Steven Fulop, who rose to become Jersey City's Business Administrator, has been suspended from a top job in Kansas City after a jury awarded $900,000 to an employee he fired for refusing to lie to the press. The decision to suspend Platt with pay was announced in a letter on Thursday from Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas. Lucas hired Platt in 2022 to become Kansas City city manager, the city's highest non-elective office … According to the plaintiff and whistleblower, Chris Hernandez, who ran Kansas City's communications office, Platt told him and several other city employees that lying to the press was a 'legitimate media strategy' during a 2022 staff meeting. Hernandez says he told Platt, 'That's not a good idea. We shouldn't do that.' Platt replied, 'Why not? In Jersey, we had a mayor who would just make up numbers on the fly from the podium, and no reporters ever called him on it.'' — 'I was taken back to prison in unsafe 'dog kennel' van after surgery, N.J. inmate says'
