Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday announced he will nominate John Hoffman, Rutgers University’s general counsel and a former acting state attorney general under then-Gov. Chris Christie, to serve as a justice on the New Jersey Supreme Court.
It’s Murphy’s fifth and likely final nomination to the state’s highest court.
“John is already a pillar of New Jersey’s legal community,” the Democratic governor said during a press conference at the Statehouse in Trenton, highlighting Hoffman’s experience in a variety of other government posts and his high-profile position at Rutgers.
“Over the last few years, he has grappled with the same challenges facing institutions of higher education across the nation, including a once-in-a-century pandemic and debates surrounding the freedom of speech on college campuses.”
The nomination will now be vetted by a state bar association committee, and Hoffman will undergo a confirmation hearing from the state Senate Judiciary Committee. The full state Senate must then confirm Hoffman before he can join the court.
“This is an incredibly humbling moment in my life,” Hoffman said, at points giving tearful tributes to those who supported him, including family.
He noted his first boss was Stuart Rabner, now the Supreme Court’s chief justice. He said his second boss was the justice he will likely succeed on the court: Lee Solomon, who will hit the judiciary’s mandatory 70-year-old retirement age in August.
Hoffman, 58, served as acting attorney general — the state’s top law enforcement post — under Christie, Murphy’s Republican predecessor,from 2013 to 2016. He has been a top lawyer at Rutgers, the state university, since then.
Having served under a Republican administration, Hoffman is not expected to receive pushback from Republicans in the Democratic-controlled Senate. A legislative source said Hoffman is likely to be confirmed.
During his time as acting attorney general, Hoffman focused on reforming the state’s procedure for investigating police shootings, implementing body cameras for State Police officers, and creating funding and guidance for local departments looking to use the technology.
Hoffman also argued that records requests from the public should not apply to police use of force reports, body cams and other documents. He partially lost that argument before the state Supreme Court, which required use of force reports to be released, but did allow the office to exempt other documents.
Murphy signed a law last week to overhaul New Jersey’s public records act. Critics say it would reduce accountability of governments, including police departments, a characterization the administration denies.
Though no law requires it, New Jersey has traditionally upheld a political balance on the seven-member court, with no more than four justices from the same party.
While Solomon was a Republican, Hoffman is unaffiliated, which would shift the balance from four Democrats and three Republicans to four Democrats, two Republicans, and one with no official party affiliation.
Solomon has sat on the court since 2014, and Murphy said “all of New Jersey has benefited from his wisdom and perspectives.”
Peter Verniero, a former Republican state attorney general and state Supreme Court justice, praised Murphy for choosing Hoffman as Solomon’s replacement.
”By any measure — intelligence, integrity, demeanor, or sense of fairness — John Hoffman will be an outstanding member of the Supreme Court,” Verniero said.
Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way also said she was satisfied with the pick.
“Our Supreme Court plays a critical role in upholding justice and safeguarding the rights and liberties of our residents,”Way said. “John’s wealth of experience in the courtroom and public service make him an ideal candidate for the New Jersey Supreme Court.”
State Senate President Nick Scutari, D-Union, whose chamber will have the final say on the nomination, voiced his support.
Scutari also said the governor should do the same thing with state appellate judges, in an obvious nod toa proposal in the state Legislature that would give politicians the ability to choose who got those posts — an authority that currently resides with the Supreme Court chief justice.
“I’m even confident you can do it at the appellate division,” Scutari said to Murphy. “But we’ll save that for another day.”
Rabner, the chief justice, has said the proposal would “politicize the appointment process” and “have real consequences.”
NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
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Jelani Gibson is a cannabis and politics reporter for NJ.com. He can be reached at jgibson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @jelanigibson1 and on LinkedIn.
