State Sen. Robert Smith (D-Piscataway), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the New Jersey Globe that he will support Gov. Phil Murphy’s nomination of John Jay Hoffman as an associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
“I’ve known him for 20 years. He’s a great lawyer, and I think he’s going to do a phenomenal job,” Smith said.
Smith’s approval brings Hoffman’s tally of Judiciary Committee members who support him to five – just one away from a majority of the eleven-member panel.
Hoffman grew up in Middlesex County, and his father, John A. Hoffman, is a former chairman of the politically influential Wilentz law firm.
In addition to Smith, four other Judiciary Committee members — Chairman Brian P. Stack (D-Union City), Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield), and Joseph Lagana (D-Paramus) – have endorsed Hoffman’s nomination to replace Lee A. Soliman, who reaches the mandatory judicial retirement age of 70 in August.
Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City) have already said they will support his confirmation.
Hoffman must still get support from both of the senators from Burlington County, Troy Singleton (D-Delran) and Latham Tiver (R-Southampton). Under the Senate’s unwritten rule of senatorial courtesy, Singleton and Tiver must sign off on all nominations from Burlington, where Hoffman lives.
