Gov Christie Appoints Gay Man and Korean Born to Fill 2 Vacancies
TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie moved to diversify the state's all-white Supreme Court on Monday with two firsts: the nominations of an openly gay man and a Korean-born prosecutor to fill two vacancies.
If confirmed, Bruce A. Harris, who is black, would become New Jersey's first openly gay justice, and Phillip H. Kwon would become its first Asian representative and the first justice born outside the United States.
"I felt strongly about making sure the court have diversity, but first and foremost that the court have quality justices who make sure they take the court in a direction that is a responsible one for the future of our state and its people," Christie said at a news conference attended by the nominees and their families.
The Republican governor said he had "extreme confidence" in the records and intellect of his nominees, neither of whom has been a judge.
The nominations, which require Senate confirmation, come the day before a state Senate panel is to consider a bill allowing gay couples to marry. The measure is being pushed by Democrats, who control the Legislature.
Harris, 61, is the Republican mayor of Chatham Borough in Morris County, a post he would give up if confirmed, Christie said. He would be the third African-American to be seated on the court. His partner of 32 years, Marc Boisclair, attended the announcement.
Kwon, 44, works in the Attorney General's Office and lives in Closter, Bergen County. He is not officially affiliated with either political party. His wife and 5-year-old son attended the announcement.
Six openly gay justices sit on state Supreme Courts nationwide.
The gay marriage bill was defeated two years ago, but Democratic Senate President Steven Sweeney, who did not vote then, has had a change of heart and is now sponsoring the legislation, bringing several votes with him.
Christie, who does not support gay marriage, has said he would look at the bill if it reaches his desk.
A parallel lawsuit filed by several same-sex couples and their children claims the state's civil union law — which confers the benefits of marriage but not the title — is unjust. That case is likely to be decided by the Supreme Court.
Christie, a Catholic, refused to discuss the gay marriage bill Monday, but said he would address it "when and if it shows some momentum" in the Legislature.
"I'm not someone who changes position with the grace of a ballerina," he said, "so I wouldn't be all atwitter in expectation."
Christie, who has long been critical of a high court that he sees as too liberal, said he did not ask his nominees their views about specific cases. He said the nominees would not speak publicly before appearing in front of the Senate Judiciary panel.
The chairman of that committee, Sen. Nicholas Scutari, D-Linden, said the governor made politically savvy choices.
"They were very interesting picks in terms of ethnicity of the candidates," Scutari said. "It's clear he's trying to box in Democrats. He's a smart tactical politician, I'll give him that."
Scutari said he knew little about the nominees and would not be rushed to vet them.
Steven Goldstein, chairman of the state's gay rights group, Garden State Equality, praised the choice of an openly gay nominee. Goldstein said that he was surprised by the announcement, but that the Christie administration has always treated gay community leaders with "warmth and responsiveness."
Harris is in private practice and specializes in public finance and commercial lending, most recently at the law firm of Greenberg Traurig. He is a graduate of the Yale Law School, and holds degrees from Amherst College and Boston University Graduate School of Management.
He thanked his partner for "his 32 years of love and support, even when I decided to change careers and attend law school — a decision that meant that for three years we were apart for extended periods of time."
Kwon has worked with Christie for a decade. He was deputy chief of the criminal division at the U.S. Attorney's Office while Christie headed it. There, he worked on corruption cases, including those of former Newark Mayor Sharpe James and former Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski.
He is a 1994 graduate of the Rutgers University School of Law and received his undergraduate degree in 1989 from Georgetown University.
The current court is made up of five women and two men, all white.
New Jersey has one of the highest percentages of foreign-born residents in the nation, with about one of five being born outside the country, according to the U.S. census. Census figures show that 15.8 percent of New Jersey residents identify themselves as at least partially black or African-American; 9 percent say they are at least partially Asian.
Christie created a firestorm when he decided not to renominate the court's only black member, Justice John Wallace, in 2010.
His nominee to replace Wallace, corporate lawyer Anne Patterson, was finally confirmed last year after waiting a year because the Senate refused to consider any high court nominee as a protest.
Like Patterson, Harris was once at the prestigious Morristown law firm of Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland and Perretti.
Wallace's vacant seat has been filled temporarily by an acting justice. The second vacancy becomes official March 1, when Justice Virginia Long reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70
Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill contributed to this story.
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