Governor Corzine resumed his offical duties on May 7, 2007. On May 18, 2007 Governor Corzine declared the goal of his next Supreme Court appointment would be made to make a lasting impact on the Supreme Court and would be made no later than June 4, 2007. Current Chief Justice Zazalli retires on June 17, 2007.
The Memorial Day Weekend is now upon us. Yet, the longer Governor Corzine waits to make the announcement, the less time, and consequently, the harder it will be, to publicly access the appointee, and the less likely it will be to evaluate the consequences of the candidate's confirmation. It also minimizes potential objections to or threats of rejection. Although for all intents and purposes the Supreme Court will soon vacation for the summer, there is little possibility the season will be an excuse for a vacant Chief Justice seat.
The bottom line is Governor Corzine sees the confirmation process as a superficial inspection and a perfunctory courtesy. Thus, a successful appointee is one that relies on public name recognition and / or logical public coherence.
However, calling someone "eminently qualified" or noting a "long period of public (even judicial) experience" does not identify the tangible standards that one must meet in order to be a Chief Justice. Nor are they proofs from a credible public process that specifically identifies how the candidate does or does not fulfill each benchmark.
The devil is always in the details. But, as Governor Corzine seizes the moment who will "seize the time?"
"We are not here to curse the darkness; we are here to light a candle."
