Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign event "Declare Your Independence Celebration" at Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County on Oct. 12, 2023, in Miami. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images)

An election lawyer alleges in a new lawsuit that New Jersey’s “sore loser law” prevents independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from appearing on the November ballot in the Garden State.

The law prohibits candidates from mounting independent campaigns the same year they’ve failed to win the nomination of a political party. Salmon says Kennedy did just that by seeking the White House as an independent after trying and failing to defeat President Joe Biden as a Democrat.

“If you want to run as an independent, that’s fine, run as an independent — don’t try and get the party’s nomination first, lose, and then decide, ‘You know what, screw these people, I want to go around the system,’” attorney Scott Salmon said in an interview.

The New Jersey Globe first reported Salmon’s complaint, which was filed in state Superior Court in Mercer County Tuesday.

Salmon was instrumental in keeping rapper Ye from appearing on the 2020 presidential ballot in New Jersey. Ye’s campaign withdrew from the race after Salmon challenged his petition signatures, saying some lacked required information and others looked identical.

Democrats in key states like North Carolina and Nevada, fearing Kennedy will siphon votes from Biden and hand the election to Republican Donald Trump, have made similar pushes to boot Kennedy from the ballot.

Kennedy announced his presidential campaign in April 2023 as a Democrat competing against Biden. Kennedy raised $385,000 from hundreds of New Jersey donors while seeking the party’s nomination, according to Salmon.

In October, Kennedy announced he would end his campaign as a Democrat and launched an independent bid for the White House.

Kennedy’s name didn’t appear on the ballot for New Jersey’s June 4 Democratic primary, but he still received hundreds, if not thousands, of write-in votes, according to Salmon.

Secretary of State Tahesha Way has until Aug. 9 to formally certify all candidates for the general election. Salmon is hoping the judge decides his case before then.

“It should be clear to people what you’re running for, what you want to associate for, and it’s fine if you don’t want to associate with a party. What’s not good for anybody is to confuse the voters, who are expecting to see someone’s name on the ballot for the nomination and then they’ve withdrawn from that party,” he said.

In his complaint, Salmon says federal and state courts have upheld New Jersey’s sore loser law. He has noted that candidates do not have to appear on a primary ballot to be disqualified from the November ballot — unsuccessfully seeking the nomination is also disqualifying under the law.

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Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy visited and toured a new Planned Parenthood facility in Absecon NJ, Tuesday March 26 2024 (Rich Hundley III/ NJ Governor’s Office)

On the second anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned the federal right to an abortion, New Jersey Senate lawmakers advanced the first measure of what they hope to be a nine-bill package protecting reproductive rights in the Garden State.

The bill passed by the Senate Budget Committee Monday would require insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions and prohibit insurers from taking any retaliatory action, such as raising rates or denying coverage, even if those people seeking care are not from New Jersey.

“We have to look at the state of New Jersey under the worst-case scenario,” said bill sponsor Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex). “What if the administration changes to someone who’s dramatically far thinking from what we’re thinking today?”

The bill was amended after it was introduced to expand protections for family planning and reproductive health services, which would include abortion, emergency services such as screenings for mothers and newborns, family planning counseling, lab tests, postpartum care for mothers, and medical care for newborns. It advanced by a vote of 9-3, with the Republicans on the committee opposing the bill.

Ruiz is sponsoring eight other bills lawmakers aim to pass in the fall that she said will further strengthen protections for abortion and other family planning methods. While the language for those bills is not yet available, officials say some of the bills would:

• Create a fund to finance clinical training programs and security grants, and direct health officials to identify gaps in access to services.
• Protect the data privacy of people using period tracking apps by requiring consent for disclosure.
• Require Medicaid to cover emergency contraception without a prescription.
• Provide for voluntary contributions for taxpayers on gross income tax returns to support reproductive health care services.

“As we come into the session into the fall, we’ll work collectively together to be sure that every woman, child, and human being is protected,” Ruiz said.

New Jersey saw a spike in abortions after the 2022 Supreme Court decision, known as Dobbs, which overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protected abortion rights nationally. Since the Dobbs decision, nearly half of the nation’s states have banned abortions or placed restrictions more severe than those allowed by Roe.

In New Jersey, abortion access is protected by the 2022 Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act. That law codified the right to an abortion for people in New Jersey, which had been previously protected by court precedent.

Senate President Nick Scutari (D-Union), who joined Ruiz Monday to announce the package, said there are “two Americas right now for women that are seeking reproductive care and freedom.”

“There are individuals that had the money, the access, the knowledge to be able to move and go to other places where they can get those services, but there are so many countless others that are just stuck, that don’t know where to go,” Scutari said.

The insurance bill that advanced Monday would allow religious employers to request exemptions, which an insurance carrier may grant if the coverage conflicts with the employer’s beliefs and practices. It would prohibit carriers from excluding coverage for care to preserve the life or health of the mother.

Gov. Phil Murphy is expected to sign the bill. Murphy spokesman Mahen Gunaratna said it is one of Murphy’s priorities.

Pro-choice advocates stood with Ruiz as she announced the bill package. Kaitlyn Wojtowicz of Planned Parenthood New Jersey said there is still more that can be done to “meet this moment in a post-Roe health care landscape.”

“We know the fight isn’t over. Those who oppose our personal freedoms and seek to control our bodies, our health, our futures, will continue to tax on abortion, contraception, gender-affirming care and IVF and more,” Wojtowicz said.

Ruiz said the state should look into a constitutional amendment to protect the codified abortion law from being repealed by lawmakers in the future. Scutari said he “wholeheartedly” agrees that lawmakers should consider an amendment, which would have to be approved by voters.

“Elections have consequences and people don’t, can’t possibly imagine New Jersey changing, but we had a Republican governor for eight years,” he said.

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(Photo by Hal Brown)

The state’s elections law watchdog plans to examine whether the radio show hosted by a Republican running for governor provides an indirect financial benefit to his campaign.

The push pits the state Election Law Enforcement Commission against the candidate, Bill Spadea, and New Jersey 101.5, the radio station where Spadea hosts a four-hour morning show each weekday.

Spadea announced Monday that he is seeking the GOP nod for governor in 2025, and almost immediately afterward, the radio station’s owner announced that Spadea would continue as an on-air personality for an unspecified period of time.

The news that Spadea would simultaneously run for governor while hosting a high-profile talk show where he often speaks about politics and policy led to grumbling from some of his opponents. It’s not clear whether the Election Law Enforcement Commission’s decision to look into the matter resulted from a complaint about Spadea’s campaign.

The commission said Thursday it will host a hearing June 28 on the matter.

Election law attorney Flavio Komuves said it’s rare for state election law officials to determine the value of a media company providing airtime to an employee who is seeking political office.

“I think there’s two questions: One is, is this an in-kind donation, and two, if it is, how should it be valued? And what other considerations apply given that this is a media company?” said Komuves.

In-kind donations are non-cash gifts to campaigns, usually in the form of goods and services. The legal limit for in-kind contributions is $5,800.

A campaign official for Spadea could not be reached for comment, while NJ 101.5 owner Townsquare Media did not respond to a request for comment. In a statement Monday, the media company said Spadea will remain on the air until “he becomes a legally qualified candidate” and that the company has put guidelines in place to make sure his show violates no election laws.

“We are sensitive to the legal parameters attendant keeping a broadcast personality on air while they are seeking public office,” the statement says.

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The dome of the Statehouse in Trenton (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)

A Senate panel voted Thursday to pass a controversial bill that establishes a state definition of antisemitism, with the vote coming after hundreds of people testified during two hearings that took nine hours.

Critics say the definition approved by lawmakers conflates criticism of Israel with antisemitism and would restrict their rights to free speech, but supporters of the bill said it would not.

“If you want to tomorrow talk about Israeli genocide and Palestine and criticize the United States for it, there is nothing in this legislation — that I hope will be signed by the governor — that will infringe upon those rights,” said Sen. John McKeon (D-Essex). 

The measure would implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s 2016 definition of antisemitism into state law and policies. The definition includes “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

The senators on the Senate’s state government committee also approved a bill to require the state Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging to ensure the definitions of antisemitism, as defined by the Holocaust remembrance organization, and Islamophobia, as defined by the United Nations, are incorporated into state law. 

Both bills passed in a 4-1 vote, with Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Mercer) opposing both measures.

In the virtual hearing, people raised their middle fingers and shook their heads after the bills passed. It’s the second hearing the bills faced this week — Monday’s went so long that lawmakers adjourned before everyone got a chance to speak. 

Supporters of the measure implementing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism say it would give officials guidelines to determine whether an act is an example of hate speech or antisemitism.

McKeon said he would support a bill, if one is put forth, to help the Palestinian community “deal with similar type of prejudices that are now being visited upon our Jewish brothers and sisters.” 

Sen. Vince Polistina (R-Atlantic) noted dozens of states and countries have passed similar legislation adopting the same language. He added that the “passionate” testimony shows the topic needs “more discussion and more understanding.” 

“I think the paramount issue for us is to do what we can to protect our citizens. This is a measure that can help do that,” Polistina said.

Companion bills in the Assembly have not been scheduled for a hearing.

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(Andrii Koval/Getty Images)

A controversial bill that would require the state to adopt a specific definition of antisemitism is scheduled for a vote by a legislative panel Thursday, three days after a four-hour-plus hearing on the bill ended without the committee voting on it.

Supporters of the measure say it’s needed to define the boundaries of hate speech and antisemitic incidents, which have “skyrocketed” since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League. They say incorporating the definition put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance into New Jersey’s policies would help fight against antisemitic attacks.

Critics of the bill decried that definition as one that would limit their freedom of speech. During Monday’s remote hearing on the bill, which was attended by more than 600 people, dozens voiced concerns that the definition conflates criticism of Israel and Zionism with discrimination against Jewish people. 

Meera Jaffrey of Jewish Voice for Peace stressed it is not antisemitic to criticize Israel’s government. Several speakers noted the number of people who have been killed in the war in Gaza, including tens of thousands of children. 

“The fact that the state of New Jersey would even consider adopting two bills which would potentially make it a crime to speak out against oppression, apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide is alarming,” she said. “Our children deserve to live in a state in which they don’t have to fear standing up for safety, freedom and human rights of all people.”

But bill sponsor Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-Ocean) said the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism is accepted by the “vast majority of Jews across the spectrum.” 

During Shalom’s remarks, an unidentified person said, “F— you.”

The alliance’s definition of antisemitism includes “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.”

Sen. James Beach (D-Camden), chair of the State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation committee, adjourned Monday’s meeting without a vote.

Another bill at the center of the hearing would require the state Office of Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Belonging to ensure the proper definitions of antisemitism and Islamophobia are incorporated into all state policies and laws. They would follow the definitions of antisemitism from the Holocaust remembrance organization and the Islamophobia definition adopted by the United Nations.

The committee was initially scheduled to hear the bills in May, but that hearing was canceled due to security concerns, officials said at the time.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism has been adopted by 36 other states and countries around the world. The U.S. House of Representatives also approved a bill to adopt the definition in May, though its fate is uncertain in the U.S. Senate.

Gabriella Rubinstein, a lifelong New Jersey resident, a Rutgers University graduate student, and an American Jew, said she opposes the bill.

“We should be allowed to criticize any government or country in the world if it’s doing something that’s illegal or wrong. Doing so is not bigotry, and it’s not antisemitic,” said Rubinstein. “Please don’t say that speaking the truth is hatred towards my people.”

Several other speakers noted the bill says it would not diminish or infringe upon any free speech protections under the First Amendment.

“The detractors of these bills offer no real counter-proposal to combating this alarming rate of antisemitism. The reason being that relying on the false pretenses of First Amendment concerns, detractors seek to continue to bully, harass, and intimidate Jews,” said Cory Rothbart of the Jewish Bar Association of New Jersey.

Jewish residents who spoke during the virtual hearing said they’ve faced harassment in their communities and workplaces following the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Many said they are scared to wear necklaces that identify them as Jewish or are fearful of people at work finding out about their religion.

Reports of antisemitic incidents have reached an all-time high around the country, according to the Anti-Defamation League. In 2021, New Jersey saw 370 reports of incidents, ranging from verbal harassment to a swastika sticker found outside a synagogue.

Rutgers University student Joe Gindi said he’s witnessed a “normalization of antisemitism” on campus, like harassment in libraries and dorms.

“Whenever I thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. Students quickly mobilized to make campus a place that’s unsafe for Jews. They celebrated violence and the massacre of Jews,” he said, referring to a short-lived encampment on the university’s New Brunswick campus.

Others think the definition of antisemitism under discussion isn’t going to do much for a community fearful of vandalism, physical attacks, and a growing threat of white nationalism.

“This definition has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with Jewish safety, and it would divert attention from these threats,” said Rebecca Smith, a Jewish resident of Jersey City.

The hearing will continue Thursday morning at 9 a.m. over Zoom.

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Democrat Sean Spiller, left, and Republican Bill Spadea have announced they are running for governor in 2025. (Spadea photo courtesy of Hal Brown, Spiller photo courtesy of the New Jersey Governor's Office)

A mayor and a radio talk show host from opposite sides of the aisle have entered the 2025 gubernatorial race painting themselves as outsiders who want to shake up Trenton.

Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller joined the increasingly crowded field for the Democratic nomination for governor Friday and New Jersey101.5 personality Bill Spadea became the latest Republican in the race Monday. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat whose current term expires in January 2026, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term.

Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University, noted that the attacks on Trenton from Spadea and Spiller suggest they’re positioning themselves as the alternative to the state’s existing power structures.

“This looks very much like candidates on both sides looking to represent the views of the more ideologically oriented wings of their parties against the institutional power structures that both progressive Democrats and MAGA-oriented Republicans see as sellouts who don’t represent their views,” said Cassino.

Spiller, a high school science teacher and president of statewide teachers union the New Jersey Education Association, said he wants new voices in Trenton instead of more millionaires, attorneys, and Wall Street executives.

“This is our chance for that worker who’s got to work those extra shifts. This is our chance for that small business owner just barely getting by. This is our chance for all of us,” he said in a video announcing his candidacy. 

Spiller’s union is one of Murphy’s biggest political backers and is influential in helping shape the state’s education policy. Spiller’s term as mayor ends next month.

He is the fourth candidate to join the Democratic gubernatorial race, behind Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney. More candidates are expected to jump in the race next year.

On the Republican side, Spadea is one of five declared candidates. State Sen. Jon Bramnick, former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, former state Sen. Ed Durr, and real estate broker Robert Canfield all hope to get a chance to flip control of the governor’s office. Ciattarelli came close to unseating Murphy in 2021.

Spadea’s announcement video highlights his current gig as a 101.5 host, saying he hears from callers complaining about taxes, spending, borrowing, inflation, and the “radical liberal nonsense our kids are taught in school,” a line spoken over video of a drag queen reading to children.

Spadea also highlights immigration, though in a much different way than Spiller (Spiller is a son of immigrants, he noted in his own video). Spadea accuses Trenton politicians of opening “the floodgates for illegals getting handouts on your dime.”

“If you’re OK with more of the same, the other Republicans running for governor will give you exactly that,” he said. “I’m running for the people who are sick and tired of expecting little from the politicians we elect, and getting even less.”

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Attorney General Matt Platkin (center) speaks to reporters after announcing his office has indicted Democratic power broker George Norcross III (seated far right). (Photo by Hal Brown for New Jersey Monitor)

George Norcross III, a powerful Democratic power broker, was charged with racketeering on Monday along with five others including his personal lawyer, his brother, and a former Camden mayor.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin unveiled the 13-count indictment during an unusual press conference in Trenton in front of an audience that included Norcross, who sat in the front row and refused to move seats when asked to by someone in Platkin’s office.

The indictment accuses Norcross of overseeing a criminal enterprise, using direct threats and intimidation to win development rights along the Camden waterfront and then benefiting from millions of dollars in state-issued tax credits.

In one instance, the indictment alleges Norcross told an unnamed developer who didn’t want to give up their waterfront property that he would ensure the developer never does business in Camden again. The indictment alleges that Norcross later recounted the conversation this way in a recorded conversation:

“Are you threatening me?” the developer asked.

“Absolutely,” Norcross responded.

The indictment includes salty language not uncommon in New Jersey politics. It alleges Norcross once threatened a developer that he would “f**k you up like you’ve never been f**ked up before.”

Platkin said Monday that Norcross and his allies manipulated government programs designed to attract development and investment to instead suit their own financial desires.

“Instead of contributing to the successes of the city of Camden, through a series of criminal acts alleged in the state’s case, the Norcross enterprise took the Camden waterfront all for themselves,” the attorney general said.

The charges come during a turbulent year in New Jersey politics. In March, Democratic Party bosses lost the chance to use county-line ballots to push their favored candidates during primaries, and in May, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez’s second corruption trial in the last seven years began in a federal courthouse in Manhattan. Menendez, a Democrat, has indicated he will seek reelection as an independent in November if he is not convicted, a move that is certain to harm the chances of the Democratic nominee to succeed him, Rep. Andy Kim.

Norcross’ co-defendants are his brother Philip Norcross, who runs the Parker McKay law firm; Dana Redd, the former Camden mayor; Bill Tambussi, Norcross’ attorney; Sidney Brown, the head of trucking company NFI and a Norcross business partner; and John J. O’Donnell, a real estate developer and president of The Michaels Organization. There are also several unnamed co-conspirators, Platkin added.

“This alleged conduct of the Norcross enterprise has caused great harm to individuals, businesses, nonprofits, the people of the state of New Jersey, and especially to the city of Camden and its residents,” Platkin said. “That stops today.”

When a reporter asked about Norcross’ presence at the press conference, Platkin refused to comment.

The charges including racketeering, official misconduct, conspiracy to commit theft, financial facilitation of criminal activity, and misconduct by a corporate official.

Norcross denies the allegations. Norcross, an insurance executive and chairman of the Camden-based Cooper University Health Care, has long maintained great political power in Camden and in greater South Jersey. His brother Donald is a member of the House of Representatives.

Speaking to reporters after the charges were released, Norcross suggested the case is Platkin’s payback for being “humiliated and exposed” in front of a legislative committee that investigated rape allegations of a campaign staffer for Gov. Phil Murphy (the staffer has said she told Platkin about her claims and he mishandled them). Norcross also suggested Platkin’s political ambitions are to blame — Norcross called Platkin a politician “masquerading as an attorney general.”

“I want to go to trial in two weeks. I want Matt Platkin to come down here and try this case himself, because he’s a coward, because he has forced people in this building to implement his will,” Norcross said.

Platkin’s announcement comes on the heels of charges his office filed Friday against two South Jersey Transportation Authority board members who are alleged to have used their positions to punish a Norcross foe.

The new allegations stretch back to at least 2012.

Norcross and his allies wielded their political influence — at the time, Norcross was aligned with the state Senate president, Stephen Sweeney — to tailor economic development legislation to their preference before extorting and coercing landowners to obtain property rights in Camden to benefit Norcross and his allies, Platkin alleges.

“As George Norcross himself allegedly said, ‘This is for our friends,’” Platkin said.

Platkin alleges Norcross and his allies helped pass a state law in September 2013 called the Economic Opportunity Act. Norcross, in a meeting with allies ahead of the law’s enactment, said he wanted to use the new legislation to construct an office building for free, according to the indictment.

The indictment says the Norcross team exchanged emails with top political leaders at the time, including then-Gov. Chris Christie and Sweeney, sending talking points in support of the bill. And following the law’s enactment, lawyers lobbied to amend it in a way that would benefit Cooper hospital, according to the indictment.

Authorities allege Philip Norcross touted the law — even while noting “this probably is not such a good thing” — because the state would cover tax credits for all capital and related costs for developers coming to Camden with jobs.

“Over ten years, it’s a hundred percent, and … it will cause real havoc, it’s unlimited,” he said in a recorded conversation, according to the indictment.

Overall, the law doled out lucrative tax breaks to businesses in the form of billions of dollars. Later, Murphy’s administration would establish a task force to investigate how the awards were granted.

The charges announced Monday include allegations surrounding the L3 complex, two three-story buildings and surface parking on a 21-acre lot near the Camden waterfront. The claims offer an illustration of how Platkin’s office alleges the Norcross team operated.

Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, a nonprofit redevelopment organization, was seeking to purchase the L3 site. Norcross allies intervened, according to the indictment, by having the Camden mayor’s office instruct the nonprofit’s leaders to meet regularly with Philip Norcross “so the Norcross Enterprise could monitor what the nonprofit was doing,” the indictment says. Philip Norcross then told the nonprofit it would suffer repercussions if it chose their own developer instead of one of the Norcross team’s choosing, according to the indictment.

In the end, Cooper’s Ferry — which could have partnered with a developer and earned millions from shared profits — instead sold the property at a “discounted price” to the Norcross-chosen developer, the indictment says. Cooper University Health Care then bought a substantial ownership share in the developer and over the next four years, won $27 million in state tax credits, the indictment says.

The state also claims that after this episode, a Norcross ally threatened the Cooper’s Ferry CEO, forcing him to resign. Cooper’s Ferry became Camden Community Partnership in 2021. Redd is now its president and CEO.

Norcross’ appearance at Platkin’s press conference — he was not invited — caused a stir. When a member of Platkin’s team asked him to move, a lawyer for one of the defendants defended him.

“Is there someone more significant than the lead defendant in the case to have a seat in the front row while he’s being excoriated by the attorney general of the state?” the lawyer asked.

Norcross remained where he was.

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ELIZABETH, NJ - FEBRUARY 23: People protest outside of the Elizabeth Detention Center during a rally attended by immigrant residents and activists on February 23, 2017 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Over 100 demonstrators chanted and held up signs outside of the center which is currently holding people awaiting deportation. The demonstrators, five of whom were arrested, denounced President Donald Trump and his deportation policies. Around the country stories of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have sent fear through immigrant communities. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Immigrant advocates in New Jersey are alarmed that a federal judge’s 2023 ruling that allowed a private immigrant jail to remain open could mean there is little they can do to prevent another immigrant detention center from opening in Newark.

“My concern is that New Jersey may become a private prison-only immigration detention state, and that’s really terrifying because all immigration detention is terrible, but private prisons in particular,” said Katy Sastre, director of First Friends of New Jersey and New York.

Dolly Hernandez, executive director of immigrant rights advocacy organization Casa Freehold, said she’s troubled by a recent letter from the state Attorney General’s Office to the federal judge that could make it easier for the new jail to open.

“It’s time to stop dehumanizing people. We are not money makers,” she said.

Gov. Phil Murphy in 2021 signed a law that bars public and private entities from entering into contracts to house immigrant detainees. But U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch last year declared the law partially unconstitutional, saying the state cannot prevent the federal government from contracting with a private entity to jail immigrants. Kirsch’s ruling allowed private firm CoreCivic to continue operating its immigrant jail in Elizabeth. Attorney General Matt Platkin’s office has appealed.

In April, a second company, GEO Group, sued Murphy and Platkin, arguing that the 2021 law was preventing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from signing a contract with the company to jail immigrants at Delaney Hall, a facility it owns near Essex County’s jail. That case is also going before Kirsch.

On April 25, Solicitor General Jeremy M. Feigenbaum, writing on behalf of Platkin’s office, told Kirsch that as long as Kirsch’s order regarding CoreCivic is still in effect, the state would not attempt to enforce the 2021 law with regard to GEO Group.

Most of New Jersey’s congressional delegation signed recent letters to federal officials asking them to back away from immigrant detention contracts here, citing President Biden’s prior comments criticizing privately run prisons. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-08) told the New Jersey Monitor that the state’s D.C. Democrats have been vocal in their opposition to migrant detention centers in conversations with federal officials.

“It’s not in alignment with how we want to operate, how we want to reflect our values to the community, having a privately-run detention center is not an alignment there,” Menendez said. “So while we can’t get the entire fix that we want today, we can’t allow bad decisions to be made.”

An ICE spokesman said there’s no contract with GEO Group to house immigrants at Delaney Hall and declined to comment on pending contract negotiations. Currently, 243 detainees are housed at CoreCivic’s Elizabeth Detention Center, he said.

Immigrant advocates are criticizing Platkin’s office for telling Kirsch it would not enforce the 2021 law with regard to GEO Group. Michael Symons, spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, said the office had to take that position because “there were no material differences between the federal constitutional legal claims brought by GEO Group and by CoreCivic.”

“While the district court’s injunction remains in effect, we have acknowledged that we cannot enforce that state-law provision against any private detention facility. But we await oral argument on our fully-briefed appeal, and we hope to overturn the injunction,” Symons said.

Menendez called the legal terrain “challenging” but said he remains hopeful that an appeal will be successful.

“We’re going to take an exhaustive approach to make sure that any opportunity that we have to challenge the continuation of the (Elizabeth Detention Center) or the reopening of Delaney Hall, we do,” he said.

Life for immigrants picked up by ICE, meanwhile, has gotten worse, immigrant advocates say.

Sastre said some detainees have been moved from the Elizabeth jail to one in Moshannon Valley in Pennsylvania — that’s nearly 300 miles away — and families don’t find out until they show up for visitation.

Hernandez recalled a local resident who was picked up by ICE in late April and taken to Elizabeth. By the time Hernandez and the detainee’s wife showed up a few hours later, officials told them he wasn’t there and was being transferred to Moshannon. He’s been there awaiting trial for about a month and a half, Hernandez said.

“I think things haven’t changed. I think they’ve gotten worse,” she said.

According to ICE detention management data, detainees remain at the Elizabeth jail for an average of 17 days before being moved.

“Our standard is that immigration detention shouldn’t exist at all, but the way that it is currently being done in New Jersey, in New York, it’s causing a lot of confusion and fear,” Sastre said. “And I think it’s probably on purpose. Most of ICE’s tactics tend to be for the purpose of causing fear.”

The Elizabeth Detention Center can house a maximum of 300 people. In its lawsuit, GEO Group says its contract with ICE could lead to up to 600 detainees at Delaney Hall.

Sastre fears the increase in beds will lead to an increase in ICE arrests.

“It’s really concerning that we just might be inviting more of that kind of treatment of our community into New Jersey,” she said. “My gut feeling is that we’re going to end up with GEO Group and CoreCivic operating in New Jersey, and that is terrifying to me.”

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Attorney General Matt Platkin announces criminal charges on Feb. 6, 2023, against Paterson Police Officer Jerry Moravek, who shot a fleeing man in the back in June 2022. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor)

Attorney General Matt Platkin alleges a political feud between a Democratic Party power broker and a Mercer County commissioner led two South Jersey Transportation Authority board members to block payments to the commissioner’s engineering firm in retaliation.

Christopher Milam, the board’s vice chairman, and Bryan Bush, a board member, are facing charges of official misconduct, conspiracy to commit official misconduct, and perjury. Milam also chairs Washington Township’s Democratic Party.

Investigators with Platkin’s public integrity and accountability office allege the two Sewell men texted about their plan to block the payments. The charges were announced in a press release Friday.

“As this investigation continues, today we are sending a clear message: No matter how connected or powerful you are, if there is evidence suggesting that you have used your position and taxpayer dollars for political retribution or gain, we will hold you accountable,” Platkin said in a statement. “And if you lie to a grand jury, as alleged here, to cover up your conduct, you will answer for that, too.”

During three board meetings in 2023, Milam and Bush cast “no” votes that prevented the South Jersey Transportation Authority — which oversees the Atlantic City International Airport, Atlantic City Expressway, and other South Jersey public transportation facilities — from paying an unidentified engineering firm.

Politico New Jersey and the Philadelphia Inquirer have reported the feud is between South Jersey power broker George Norcross and Mercer County Commissioner John Cimino (both are unnamed in Platkin’s release). The outlets said Norcross asked Cimino in 2022 to stay neutral in the Mercer County executive race the following year, and Cimino instead endorsed a candidate who was not backed by Norcross in December 2022.

On Feb. 8, 2023, Platkin’s office alleges Milam texted Bush, “They cut South Jersey in Mercer County so now we vote no.”

Cimino works for engineering firm T&M Associates.

A spokesman for Norcross denied any ties to the case.

“As we have said repeatedly and in prior public statements, Mr. Norcross had no involvement in the South Jersey Transportation Authority matter,” said spokesman Daniel Fee.

Attorneys for Bush and Milam could not be reached for comment.

Milam and Bush are also accused of giving false testimony under oath to a state grand jury in Trenton in March. They claimed they voted against the payments because they had concerns about the engineering firm, including possible double billing and other errors, Platkin’s office says.

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 15: People gather for a rally to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Battery Park on June 15, 2022 in New York City. DACA recipients, immigrant advocates, and elected officials gathered to mark the 10th anniversary of DACA while also advocating for a path to citizenship and the preservation of DACA in the face of a legal challenge to the Obama Administration's 2012 policy. The policy allowed over 600,000 undocumented children, dubbed "Dreamers," to remain in the United States and apply for a driver's license, social security number, and work permit, but there was no path to citizenship or legal permanent residence. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The Murphy administration is urging President Joe Biden to extend work permits and protection from deportation to undocumented spouses of American citizens.

The federal government needs to continue protecting and expanding opportunities for immigrants, Emy Quispe, a deputy chief of staff to Gov. Phil Murphy, said at an event Thursday commemorating the 12th anniversary of DACA. That’s an Obama-era policy that offers protection from deportation and work permits to undocumented residents who were brought to America as children.

Quispe referenced media reports that say Biden is considering issuing an executive order granting work permits for spouses of U.S. citizens.

“By helping eligible immigrants more easily acquire work permits and find employment, we will bolster our state’s workforce and support businesses throughout New Jersey,” she said.

According to the New York Times, the Biden administration is still weighing the policy, which would make it easier for some undocumented people to find a path to permanent residency or citizenship. It comes on the heels of President Biden’s executive order making it harder to seek asylum in the United States in an effort to deter illegal migration at the U.S. border with Mexico.

In cases where an undocumented person who marries an American citizen is seeking citizenship themselves, they must return to their native countries and remain there for several years — in many cases, up to a decade — before they can begin the citizenship process.

New Jersey is home to roughly 400,000 undocumented immigrants.

Quispe highlighted Murphy’s policies in support of the undocumented community, like extending driver’s licenses to residents regardless of citizenship status and providing undocumented children with health care.

“As the governor has stated in his ‘state of the state,’ immigrants are the backbone of our state – immigrants are an integral part of the fabric of New Jersey and our nation. And, these actions benefit our economy, workers, and employers nationwide,” she said.

Thursday’s event was hosted by Make the Road New Jersey, an immigrant rights and labor advocacy organization based in Elizabeth. The group sees the administration’s remarks as a win for the hundreds of thousands of mixed-status families it could impact in New Jersey.

“Every day, U.S citizens face the possibility their loved ones will be deported due to outdated immigration policies, facing the pain of separation from their loved ones. President Biden has the opportunity to act now to ensure that families don’t endure pain and suffering,” said Lilibeth Alaniz, a member of Make the Road.

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