Hours before a deadline imposed by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission has no meeting scheduled for today to discuss a resolution to a logjam on tiebreakers.
That could change, but at 3:15 PM no meetings between Democrats and Republicans is set.
The State Constitution provides for the 12 congressional redistricting commission members – six from each party – to pick a 13th member to break a tie. If no candidate received receives seven votes, the full seven-member New Jersey Supreme Court is charged with picking one of the two top vote-getters.
Democrats picked former Supreme Court Justice John Wallace and Republicans offered Marina Corodemus, a former Superior Court Judge, as their choices.
In a letter sent to both parties last week, Rabner asked the two parties to meet again in an effort to find a consensus candidate.
On Sunday, Democrats offered former Chief Justice Deborah Poritz, who is nominally a registered Republican, as an additional option.
But Doug Steinhardt, the GOP redistricting chair, maintains that the Constitution is clear and that the top court but vote for either Wallace or Corodemus.
Rabner could push the commissioners again next week, especially since the June 30 deadline he levied is not statutory.
The Supreme Court is mandated to take a vote by August 10.
