Walter F. Timpone | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey | |
In office May 2, 2016 –August 31, 2020 | |
Appointed by | Chris Christie |
Preceded by | John E. Wallace Jr. |
Succeeded by | Fabiana Pierre-Louis |
Personal details | |
Born | Walter Francis Timpone November 10,1950 |
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | St. Francis College (B.A.) New York University (M.A.) Seton Hall University (J.D.) |
Walter Francis "Wally" Timpone (born November 10,1950) is a former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court,having been sworn on May 2,2016. [1] [2] He was nominated to the Supreme Court by Governor Chris Christie and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate in April 2016. [3] [4] [5] He resigned on August 31,2020.
Timpone had previously been a partner in the law firm of McElroy,Deutsch,Mulvaney &Carpenter,LLP and a member of the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. [6]
Timpone received a bachelor's degree from St. Francis College in Brooklyn,New York,in 1972,a master's degree in Special Education from New York University in 1974,and his Juris Doctor from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1979. He was law clerk to the late Honorable Vincent P. Biunno (United States District Court for the District of New Jersey). He was associated with the firm of Townley &Updike in New York City. He has been a resident of Cranford,New Jersey. [7]
In January 1984,Timpone joined the office of United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey in Newark. He served until January 1994,including as Chief of Special Prosecutions. [6] In 2002,he was considered for first assistant to Christie,United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey,but there were questions regarding the appointment arising from his contact with Robert Torricelli,who was under investigation at the time. [8] [9]
Timpone was appointed to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) by Christie in 2010 and served as its vice-president. [10] He vacated his ELEC seat to take his seat on the Supreme Court.
He cited a conflict of interest as Christie's appointed vice-chairman of the ELEC when he stepped down as attorney for Bridget Anne Kelly,a defendant in the Fort Lee lane closure scandal court case. [11] [12]
Timpone recused himself in a matter regarding alleged election campaign expenditure and improper spending by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo,Jr. without explanation,leading to DiVincenzo's lawyers claims that there must be a quorum [13] and making it impossible for the investigation to proceed. [14] [15] [16] It was revealed on April 26,2016,in that Timpone had recused and un-recused himself several times in the matter. [17]
Christie nominated Timpone,a Democrat,for the NJ Supreme Court in April 2016,withdrawing his February 2016 nomination of Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman,a Republican. The selection to fill a long-vacant seat on court has been matter of controversy about the political composition of the court since the governor's first term. Timpone's identification as a Democrat made the nomination more palatable to the New Jersey Senate,which conducts confirmation hearings. [18] [19] Christie said he would have preferred a Republican,but relieved that the controversy would be settled. [20] As unwritten rule and senatorial courtesy,Timpone met with each of Union County's state senators Nicholas Scutari (D),Ray Lesniak (D),Tom Kean,Jr. (R). After meeting with the Senate Judiciary Committee,he was confirmed by the full New Jersey Senate on April 26,2016. [21] He was sworn on May 2,2016. [2]
It was revealed on the same day in a New Jersey appellate court that Timpone had recused and unrecused during a matter concerning the ELEC and DiVincenzo. In his meeting with the Senate Judiciary Committee Timpone said he would recuse himself in any cases which came before the Supreme Court involving DiVincenzo,with whom he is friendly. [17]
In June 2020,Governor Murphy announced he would nominate Fabiana Pierre-Louis,a 39-year-old South Jersey resident and former US. attorney, [22] as Timpone's replacement. [23] Timpone resigned on August 31,2020. [24]
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.
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.
Helen E. Hoens is a former Associate Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. She was nominated to the Supreme Court by Governor Jon Corzine on September 21,2006. She was confirmed by the New Jersey Senate on October 23 and sworn into office on October 26,2006. October 26,2013 was her last day as a sitting member of the court.
David Samson is an American lawyer who served as New Jersey Attorney General under Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey from 2002 to 2003. He served as the Chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) from 2011 until his resignation on March 28,2014 in the aftermath of the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Samson is a partner and founding member of the law firm Wolff &Samson from which he resigned in April 2015,and had been an ally of Governor Chris Christie.
The 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 3,2009. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine ran for a second term against Republican Chris Christie,Independent Christopher Daggett,and nine others,in addition to several write-in candidates. Christie won the election,with about 48.5 percent of the vote,to 44.9 percent for Corzine and 5.8 percent for Daggett. He assumed office on January 19,2010. This was the first election to fill the newly created office of lieutenant governor,with the candidates for governor choosing their running mates. Kim Guadagno,Christie's running mate,became New Jersey's first lieutenant governor following her inauguration.
The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) is an independent governmental agency that is responsible for monitoring the integrity of campaign finances in elections in New Jersey. The Commission was established in 1973. Candidates for all public elections in New Jersey are required to file contribution and expenditure reports. ELEC also administers public financing for those running in primary or general elections for Governor of New Jersey. The Commission administers aspects of New Jersey's "pay-to-play" laws,registration of governmental affairs agents (lobbyists),and quarterly disclosure of lobbying activity,and requires personal financial disclosure statements for certain candidates.
Senatorial courtesy is an unwritten rule practiced in the Senate of the U.S. state of New Jersey under which a State Senator can indefinitely block consideration of a nomination by the Governor of New Jersey for a gubernatorial nominee from the Senator's home county,without being required to provide an explanation. While the practice is infrequently invoked,it has brought calls for legislation that would forbid its use.
Chris Christie took office as the 55th Governor of New Jersey on January 19,2010,and began his second term on January 21,2014,and left office on January 16,2018.
Anne M. Patterson is an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. She was sworn in on September 1,2011,replacing former Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto.
Bruce A. Harris is an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey. A Republican,he previously served as Mayor of Chatham Borough,New Jersey from January 2012 to December 2019. Prior to that,he served on the Chatham Borough Council from 2004 to 2012. Since leaving office,Harris was appointed to the New Jersey State Planning Commission,which he has been a member of since February 2020.
The 2013 United States Senate special election in New Jersey was held on October 16,2013,to fill the New Jersey United States Senate Class 2 seat for the remainder of the term ending January 3,2015. The vacancy resulted from the death of five-term Democratic senator Frank Lautenberg on June 3,2013. On June 4,2013,New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that a primary election to fill the vacancy would take place on August 13,2013 and that a special election would follow on October 16,2013. Christie appointed Republican New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa to the seat as a placeholder;Chiesa announced at the time of his appointment that he would not be a candidate in the special election.
The Fort Lee lane closure scandal,better known as Bridgegate,was a political scandal in the U.S. state of New Jersey in 2013 and 2014. It involved a staff member and political appointees of then-governor Chris Christie colluding to create traffic jams in Fort Lee,New Jersey by closing lanes at the main toll plaza for the upper level of the George Washington Bridge.
Michael Drewniak was press secretary to the Governor of New Jersey. He was appointed by Governor Christie to New Jersey Transit and started on April 1,2015,at a newly created position. He has extensive management and strategy experience. In May 2016 he was named acting director of the agency.
Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr.,widely known as Joe D.,has been the County Executive of Essex County,New Jersey since 2003.
Philip Kwon is deputy counsel for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and a previous nominee for the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Lee A. Solomon is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. He was nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve on May 21,2014 and confirmed by the New Jersey Senate and sworn in on June 19,2014.
David F. Bauman is a New Jersey Superior Court judge for Vicinage 9 Criminal Court sitting in Freehold,the county seat of Monmouth County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Mary Catherine Cuff is a former acting justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court who served between 2012 and 2016.
Paul Brian Matey is an American attorney who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Prior to Matey's judicial service,he was a partner in the White Collar Criminal Defense and Litigation practice groups at the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler LLP. He was previously Senior Vice President,General Counsel,and Secretary at University Hospital in Newark,New Jersey.
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.
]