Nominee received bipartisan support from Senate Panel

Citing her temperament and diversity of experience, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of Anne Patterson to the New Jersey Supreme Court.

“Anne Patterson says she understands the strict demarcation between the role of an advocate and the role of a judge,” said Marcus Rayner, executive director of the New Jersey Lawsuit Reform Alliance.

“Clearly you have the requisite skills to serve in this position,” said Senator Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who chairs the committee.

Of the eight Democrats and five Republicans on the Committee, all voted in the affirmative except for Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), who previously cited concerns about the Court’s lack of racial diversity.

Patterson, 52, was originally nominated in May 2010 by Governor Chris Christie to fill the vacancy left by Justice John Wallace, whom he did not renominate for tenure. She was ultimately nominated to fill the anticipated vacancy left by Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto, who announced that he will not seek tenure.

 # # #