Peter Verniero | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court | |
In office 1999–2004 | |
Governor | Christine Todd Whitman |
Preceded by | Stewart G. Pollock |
Succeeded by | Roberto A. Rivera-Soto |
51st Attorney General of New Jersey | |
In office July 10,1996 –May 15,1999 | |
Governor | Christine Todd Whitman |
Preceded by | Deborah Poritz |
Succeeded by | John Farmer Jr. |
Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey | |
In office 1995–1996 | |
Governor | Christine Todd Whitman |
Preceded by | Judy Shaw |
Succeeded by | Harriet E. Derman |
Chief Counsel to the Governor of New Jersey | |
In office 1994–1995 | |
Governor | Christine Todd Whitman |
Preceded by | Scott A. Weiner [1] |
Succeeded by | Margaret Foti [2] |
Personal details | |
Born | April 30,1959 |
Political party | Republican |
Education | Drew University (BA) Duke University (JD) |
Peter G. Verniero (born April 30,1959,in Montclair,New Jersey) is an American lawyer and jurist from New Jersey. He previously served as a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court and as New Jersey Attorney General;he is presently in private practice in New Jersey.
Born in Montclair,New Jersey,and raised in Montville,New Jersey,Verniero graduated from Montville Township High School in 1977. [3] Verniero graduated summa cum laude from Drew University in 1981,where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received a J.D. degree from Duke University School of Law in 1984. [4] Following law school,Verniero served as a law clerk to New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Robert. L. Clifford. [4]
From 1985 to 1994 Verniero was an attorney in private practice and active in New Jersey Republican politics. He was appointed Governor Christine Todd Whitman’s first chief counsel in 1994. In this position he oversaw state authorities,legislation,executive orders,pardons,and judicial nominations for the governor. In 1995 Whitman elevated Verniero to the position of chief of staff. [4]
In 1996,following Deborah T. Poritz’s nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court,Whitman named Verniero as the 51st attorney general of New Jersey. Verniero was sworn in on July 10,1996. In this position,he oversaw state criminal justice,legal affairs,gaming enforcement,consumer affairs,highway safety,the state police and professional regulation. As the attorney general serves a term concurrent with that of the governor,Whitman renominated Verniero in January 1998 and he was confirmed a second time by the state senate on January 20,1998.
While attorney general,Verniero successfully defended Megan’s Law,New Jersey’s sexual offender notification statute,before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. [5] Verniero also represented the State of New Jersey before the U.S. Supreme Court in New Jersey v. New York,523 U.S. 767 (1998),a case settling a boundary dispute over Ellis Island. The Supreme Court declared 90 percent of the present-day island to be a part of New Jersey. [6] Verniero also led statewide initiatives to improve public school safety,aid victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and provide fairness and uniformity in drug case sentencing.
In 1999,Whitman appointed Verniero to a seat on the state Supreme Court vacated by Justice Stewart G. Pollock. [7] At the time,Verniero’s nomination was criticized on account of his youth and relative lack of trial experience. He was 39 at the time of his nomination. Between 1999 and 2004,Verniero authored 124 decisions on a variety of matters,72 of which were majority opinions. [4] Verniero wrote the opinion of the Court in In re PSE&G Shareholder Litigation,173 N.J. 258 (2002),establishing a modified business judgment rule,which has since been favorably cited by courts across the country.
In 2001 Verniero came under attack for statements he made to the New Jersey Senate during his 1999 confirmation hearings regarding allegations of racial profiling by the New Jersey State Police. Senators had said Verniero was not completely forthcoming regarding racial profiling during his tenure as attorney general,an accusation he strongly denied. An attempt to impeach Verniero failed in the New Jersey General Assembly. [8]
On September 30,2003,Verniero announced that he would retire from the Supreme Court at the end of the Court’s 2004 term. Although named to a seven-year term expiring in 2006,Verniero cited as reasons for his departure both financial considerations and a desire to avoid further debate during any potential reappointment hearing. [8] As a candidate for governor in 2001,James McGreevey had said he would not reappoint Verniero if he was governor in 2006,though later comments by McGreevey suggested he had softened his position. In a press release following Verniero’s announcement McGreevey lauded Verniero for his distinguished service and his insightful,scholarly opinions. [8] Similarly,the New Jersey State Bar Association,a vocal early critic of Verniero,noted that their concerns about his inexperience had been relieved by his performance on the bench and dedication to the justice system. [9]
After stepping down from the Court,Verniero joined the Newark-based law firm of Sills Cummis &Gross P.C.,where he chairs the Corporate Internal Investigations and Appellate Practice groups. [4]
In 2010,Verniero was recruited by Governor Chris Christie to chair the seven-member Judicial Advisory Panel. [10] The panel screens all candidates for Superior Court judgeships in New Jersey and makes recommendations to the governor and his staff. He served on the panel until 2015. The state has also retained Verniero to serve as special counsel on a variety of high-profile matters,including state education funding and higher education restructuring. [11]
Verniero continues to be actively involved in issues related to New Jersey public safety and welfare through his support of various charitable organizations. Verniero has helped raise funds for organizations like SAFE in Hunterdon,which provides shelter and care for victims of domestic violence, [12] and Crime Stoppers,a nationwide initiative to encourage anonymous tips to aid law enforcement. [13] Verniero also served as a member of the board of the Hunterdon Healthcare System.
In 2016,the New Jersey Bar Foundation,an arm of the State Bar Association,announced that Verniero was that year's recipient of its highest award,the Medal of Honor,conferred annually to those who make exemplary contributions to the legal profession.
Since the death of former Appellate Division Judge Sylvia Pressler in 2010,Verniero has been the commentator and annotator of the Gann Law Books edition of the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey,which is a commonly used edition of the Court Rules in New Jersey. [14]
Verniero is frequently published as an authority on matters related to New Jersey public policy and the judiciary in such publications as the New York Times,Wall Street Journal and the Star-Ledger of Newark.
Verniero is married to the former Lisa Gaede and has two children:Jaye and Madeline.
Richard Joseph Hughes was an American lawyer,politician,and judge. A Democrat,he served as the 45th governor of New Jersey from 1962 to 1970,and as Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1973 to 1979. Hughes is the only person to have served New Jersey as both governor and chief justice. Hughes was also the first Roman Catholic governor in New Jersey's history.
John J. Farmer Jr. is an American author,lawyer,politician,and jurist. He is the director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics,where he also leads the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience (CPR). He served as acting governor of New Jersey for 90 minutes on January 8,2002,by virtue of his status as New Jersey Attorney General.
The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form,the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system,including cases challenging the validity of state laws under the state constitution. It has the sole authority to prescribe and amend court rules and regulate the practice of law,and it is the arbiter and overseer of the decennial legislative redistricting. One of its former members,William J. Brennan Jr.,became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The University of Connecticut School of Law is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford,Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As of 2020,it enrolled 488 students.
Rutgers University–Camden is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University,a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. It is located in Camden,New Jersey. Founded in 1926 as the South Jersey Law School,Rutgers–Camden began as an amalgam of the South Jersey Law School and the College of South Jersey. It is the southernmost of the three regional campuses of Rutgers—the others being located in New Brunswick and Newark. It is classified among "R2:Doctoral Universities –High research activity".
Jaynee LaVecchia is a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. She was nominated by Governor Christine Todd Whitman to serve on the court on January 6,2000 and was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate on January 10,2000. In 2007,she was reappointed with tenure by Governor Jon Corzine. Although she could have served until reaching the mandatory retirement age in 2024,LaVecchia has announced her intention to retire from the Court effective December 31,2021,unless her successor was confirmed earlier.
Stuart Jeff Rabner is the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He served as New Jersey Attorney General,chief counsel to Governor Jon Corzine,and as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.
Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University,and is located in downtown Newark,New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey. The school confers three law degrees:Juris Doctor,Master of Laws,and Master of General Legal Studies. Founded in 1951,it is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA),and is also a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).
The Tennessee Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Tennessee. The office of the attorney general is located at the state capitol in Nashville,Tennessee. The current office holder is Jonathan Skrmetti,who was appointed in 2022 by the Tennessee Supreme Court for an eight-year term. His service officially began when he was sworn in by Governor,Bill Lee on September 1,2022.
William J. Brennan,Jr.,who authored the opinion in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan,has several awards named in his honor,which are presented to individuals for dedication to public interest and free expression. Awards named after William J. Brennan,Jr. are presented by the following organizations.
Deborah Tobias Poritz is an American jurist. She was the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1996 to 2006,and was the Attorney General of New Jersey from 1994 to 1996,in both cases becoming the first woman to serve in that position.
The Tulane Environmental Law Clinic (TELC) is a legal clinic that Tulane Law School has operated since 1989 to offer law students the practical experience of representing real clients in actual legal proceedings under state and federal environmental laws.
Rutgers Law School is the law school of Rutgers University,with classrooms in Newark and Camden,New Jersey. It is the largest public law school and the 10th largest law school,overall,in the United States. Each class in the three-year J.D. program enrolls approximately 350 law students. Although Rutgers University dates from 1766,its law school was founded in Newark in 1908. Today,Rutgers offers the J.D. and a foreign-lawyer J.D.,as well as joint-degree programs that combine a J.D. with a graduate degree from another Rutgers graduate program.
Walter Griffen Winne was an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey. As Prosecutor for Bergen County,New Jersey,he was indicted on misconduct charges in 1951 but was subsequently acquitted.
Harriet E. Derman is an American lawyer and Republican Party politician who was elected to two terms in the New Jersey General Assembly,where she represented the 18th Legislative District from 1992 to 1996. She later served as head of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs,legal counsel and as chief of staff to Governor of New Jersey Christine Todd Whitman,and later served as a New Jersey Superior Court judge.
Marianne Espinosa,formerly known as Marianne Espinosa Murphy,is a Judge of the Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court,and the subject of a political controversy in New Jersey in 1993. She is the ex-wife of Michael Murphy,a former county prosecutor and unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey.
John Hoffman was acting attorney general of the State of New Jersey. He served from 2013 to 2016,longer than any other acting attorney general in the state's history.
Nathan L. Jacobs was a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court in 1948 and from 1952 to 1975. Jacobs was raised in Bayonne. After graduating the University of Pennsylvania,he went on to receive bachelor's and doctoral degrees from Harvard Law School. He was law partner of Arthur T. Vanderbilt from 1928 to 1934 and later in his firm Frazer,Stoffer &Jacobs,where he remained until he went on the bench.
Sidney Moses Schreiber was an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1975 to 1984. His notable opinions on the court include expanding citizen access to public beaches and increasing consumer protection from drug companies. He also serves in the United States Army from 1943 to 1946.
Fabiana Pierre-Louis is an American attorney and jurist serving as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. She is the first Black woman to serve on the court. Pierre-Louis had previously worked as attorney-in-charge of the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey's Trenton and Camden branches,and as a partner at the law firm of Montgomery McCracken.