Nine months after Wainer Apter’s nomination, Schepisi remains noncommittal

Gov. Phil Murphy’s nominee for the New Jersey Supreme Court, Rachel Wainer Apter, has been sitting in limbo since she was put forward for the state’s top court in March – and State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-River Vale) indicated today that her wait won’t necessarily end anytime soon.

Schepisi has thus far blocked Wainer Apter’s nomination via senatorial courtesy. As one of the senators representing Wainer Apter’s home of Bergen County, Schepisi would have to sign off on the nomination for it to go forward, something which she has so far declined to do.

“I’m in discussions with the governor’s office, and we’ll see where they end up,” Schepisi said today regarding the nomination. “There needs to be continued balance on the courts, and that’s one of the discussions we’re having.”

If Schepisi doesn’t end up giving senatorial courtesy before the lame duck session ends next month, Murphy will have several options. He could renominate Wainer Apter and hope to change Schepisi’s mind; he could convince Wainer Apter to move to a new county with more hospitable senators; or he could find a new nominee altogether, possibly allowing him to appoint the court’s first-ever Latina justice.