Senate confirms ex-Christie aide to 3rd circuit judgeship

The U.S. Senate voted today to confirm Paul Matey, a former chief deputy counsel to Gov. Chris Christie, as a U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

The Senate voted 54-45, with New Jersey senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker voting against his confirmation to a lifetime appointment.

President Donald Trump nominated Matey to the bench in April 2018, but the Senate did not move to confirm him.  Trump renominated him in January.

Booker and Menendez had used “blue slips,” an old tradition of the Senate not moving forward on nominations without the approval of home-state senators.

The Judiciary Committee moved his nomination last month despite opposition from Booker.

That tradition has mostly disappeared.

Matey, 47, was an assistant U.S. Attorney while Christie was New Jersey’s federal prosecutor.  He was the general counsel at University Hospital before joining Lowenstein Sandler.

Matey received just one Democratic vote: Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Many of Matey’s Christie administration allies made campaign contributions to Manchin’s 2018 opponent, New Jersey native Patrick Morrisey.