TRENTON — John Farmer Jr. may hold the political fate of a New Jersey congressman in his hands. Farmer, a former state attorney general and dean of the Rutgers-Newark Law School, was selected Friday to be the independent, tie-breaking member of a bipartisan commission that will redraw the state’s congressional districts in a year when New Jersey is losing...
Former New Jersey Attorney General John Farmer Jr., seen in this file photo, has been named the tie-breaking member of a commission to redraw New Jersey's congressional districts.TRENTON — John Farmer Jr. may hold the political fate of a New Jersey congressman in his hands.
Farmer, a former state attorney general and dean of the Rutgers-Newark Law School, was selected Friday to be the independent, tie-breaking member of a bipartisan commission that will redraw the state’s congressional districts in a year when New Jersey is losing one of its 13 seats.
One way or another, a representative is going to be out of a job, and there’s a good chance it will fall to Farmer to decide whom that will be.
The 12-member commission, made up of six Republicans and six Democrats, unanimously selected Farmer as its 13th member.
In addition to Farmer, who was a senior counsel to the 9/11 commissioner and chief counsel to former Gov. Christie Whitman, the panel includes former Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts on the Democratic side, and Michael DuHaime, who is a political strategist for Gov. Chris Christie, for the Republicans.
Although Farmer, 54, was attorney general under two Republican governors, Whitman and Donald DiFrancesco, he is not registered with any political party.
"(Farmer) is someone of the highest capability, fairness and integrity, so I am pleased Republicans and Democrats were able to agree on this important decision," said DuHaime.
Farmer brings with him expertise in the subject. He served as counsel to Alan Rosenthal, a Rutgers professor who was the tie-breaker during the state’s recent legislative redistricting in which the Democrats prevailed.
The last time the state redrew House districts in 2002, the process went without a hitch, although the state retained all of its seats and the commission accepted a plan that made districts safer for incumbents.
But over the last 10 years, New Jersey’s population growth did not keep pace with faster-growing states in the South and West, so its House delegation — comprised of seven Democrats and six Republicans — will shrink to 12. As a result, redistricting this year will be a thorny political exercise.
Democrats are likely to argue that because more New Jersey voters are registered with their party, the advantage should be reflected in the makeup of the delegation.
"The Republicans will argue that the idea of New Jersey being a blue state is ridiculous — they took over the governorship in 2009," said Ross Baker, a professor at Rutgers University who studies Congress.
He said Farmer’s opinion will carry a lot of weight with the commissioners. "It’s a very complicated set of considerations, and I think Farmer is the kind of person who can sort them out," Baker said.
Had the commission not agreed on the 13th member, the two parties would each have sent a nominee to the state Supreme Court, and one would have been selected.
The commission has until Jan. 17, 2012, to redraw the legislative map.