Nowhere in Rabner's talk did he address Christie’s criticism of the school funding issue, nor his attacks on Justice Barry Albin
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N.J. Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner speaks to state bar members attending last year's New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting and Convention in Atlantic City. Rabner spoke again this year.ATLANTIC CITY — In his talk to the state Bar Association today about New Jersey's judiciary, Chief Justice Stuart Rabner discussed the good, the bad but not the ugly: Gov. Chris Christie's biting attacks on the Supreme Court in recent weeks.
The good, Rabner said, was the systems and programs the Administrative Office of the Courts has put into place to bring more services to the public and to lawyers.
The bad, he noted, is an anticipated $25 million budget shortfall next year that translates into the loss of 60 more jobs through attrition.
But nowhere in his 18-minute talk to the crowd gathered in the theater at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City did he address Christie’s criticism of the court's handling of the school funding issue or of his attacks on Justice Barry Albin.
The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision any day on whether Christie's decision to cut $1.7 billion in state aid violated the constitutional rights of poor students.
During arguments before the high court several weeks ago the lawyer representing the state, former Justice Peter Verniero, contended that the state was in dire financial circumstances and could not afford to provide the aid. Albin then asked about Christie’s decision to not renew a "millionaires tax" to raise revenue.
At a subsequent town hall meeting and on a conservative radio talk show, Christie accused Albin of dictating from the bench and complained about how "judges have lost their sense of place in our democracy."
Albin has not commented on the attacks, and neither has Rabner.
The newly installed bar association president, Susan Feeney, briefly took up the topic today, and although she didn’t name any culprits or delve into the details, her comments were pointed.
"The New Jersey State Bar Association will always stand for and speak out about the integrity and independence of our judiciary," Feeney said before introducing Rabner. "The kind of attacks on the court and the individual justices and the independence of the judiciary has been audacious and offensive. The criticism is unfair and unwarranted. It threatens the judiciary and it is the public who will suffer most if it continues. The State Bar Association will stand by the judiciary on this essential need for judicial independence."
Christie’s office declined to comment.
At the conclusion of the talk, Feeney called Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto to the stage and presented him with a resolution honoring his seven years of service on the state’s highest court.
Rivera-Soto, who brought his own drama to the court, has said he will not seek reappointment when his term expires in September. He was censured in 2007 after using his position to intervene in a high school squabble on his son’s behalf. In addition, to protest Rabner’s appointment of a temporary justice to fill a vacancy on the court, Rivera-Soto refused to participate in any decisions for about a month because he claimed the court’s makeup was unconstitutional.
Nonetheless, calling him inspiring to young lawyers and "extraordinarily generous" with his support of the association, Feeney praised Rivera-Soto’s work on the military law committee helping veterans.
For his part, Rivera-Soto made only a veiled reference to his censure but no mention of Christie’s sharp words about the court.
"The last resolution somebody adopted about me wasn’t quite as generous," he said, eliciting laughter.