A federal judge has once again struck down a gun law written by the Murphy Administration in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling loosening gun laws last year. In a 235-page ruling made public May 16, U.S. District Court Judge Renee Marie Bumb wrote that New Jersey had “failed to offer any evidence that law-abiding responsible citizens who carry firearms in public for self-defense are responsible for an increase in gun violence.” New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin described the decision by the Bush appointee as “devastating for public safety….the court now insists that we are powerless to protect New Jersey residents, and proclaims that the Second Amendment requires allowing guns at parks and beaches, in libraries, at public gatherings, in zoos, and even in bars, among other sensitive places.” North-JerseyNews.com
A New Orleans-based federal appeals court will hear arguments May 17 in a closely watched case that could help determine access to a widely used abortion pill nationwide. The hearing, in front of a three-judge panel of the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will review an April ruling by a federal district judge in texas that said the FDA made a series of legal errors in approving the pill for sale in the U.S. The decision by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, suspended the drug’s approval but has never taken effect. The Wall Street Journal
North Carolina’s Republican-dominated legislature upheld a bill May 16 that will ban most abortions after 12 weeks, overriding the Democratic governor’s recent veto of the new restrictions. The vote means a dramatic change for abortion access in North Carolina, where abortion is currently legal up to 20 weeks. The vote also restricts access for women across the South, some of whom have traveled to North Carolina for abortions from states where the procedure is largely banned. The new law is set to take effect July 1. The New York Times
Gov. Phil Murphy conditional vetoed a bill that shields the home addresses of politicians in New Jersey due to the calendar that makes the current version of the bill obsolete. Murphy said he is supportive of the bill that would allow local elected officials, zoning board members, members of non-state authorities, and certain senior public workers to leave the street addresses of their primary and secondary residences off of financial disclosures they must file annually with the state. Murphy said his veto is due the financial disclosure statements required to be filed in 2023 were due on April 30 and refilings would overwhelm local officials. North-JerseyNews.com
State Senate President Nicholas Scutari (D-22) provided a more detailed campaign finance report about some of the vendors his campaign recently used and how much they received, after he had failed to properly report the details of roughly $600,000 worth of expenses in the past. In a pre-primary report filed on May 8, Scutari’s campaign reported that he reimbursed himself and his staff for roughly $14,000 of the $23,000 in spending that occurred between October 2022 and the end of April 2023 and included a “sub payee” list under the listed reimbursements. The Record
House Democrats moved on May 16 to force a vote within days on removing Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress, after his indictment for charges of wire fraud, money laundering, stealing public funds and lying to the government. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who introduced the resolution to expel Santos in February, said his decision to move forward with it now had the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Under the rules of the House, the motion is privileged, meaning that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) must dispense with it within two days. The New York Times
House Republicans grilled Secretary Miguel Cardona about student debt cancellation and protections for transgender student athletes during a lengthy hearing on the president’s proposed budget request for the Department of Education. Several Republicans during the hearing May 16 slammed Cardona for proposed Title IX revisions that bar states from issuing blanket bans on transgender students from competing in sports that align with their gender identity; Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs. House members criticized the Department of Education for extending the pause on student loan repayments due to the coronavirus pandemic, a policy initially put in place by President Donald Trump. New Jersey Monitor
President Joe Biden will cut short a planned overseas trip to focus on striking a deal to raise the debt ceiling to avoid the country’s first-ever default, as party leaders remained at odds following a meeting May 16 at the White House over potential spending cuts. President Biden described the meeting as productive and said there is more work to do. “I’m confident we’re going to continue to make progress toward avoiding default,” the President said after the meeting, directing his staff to meet daily with congressional negotiators. Biden said planned to talk to the lawmakers by phone later this week and meet again when he returns from his trip. The Wall Street Journal
New Jersey’s nonpartisan fiscal analysts have sliced more than $1 billion off their revenue forecast for the remainder of the current fiscal year. In all, the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services (OLS) has shaved $1.27 billion off revenue estimates for the 2023 fiscal year that were last revised by the OLS in March. State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio and other top Treasury officials are scheduled to appear before the Assembly Budget Committee on May 17 to go over the administration’s latest forecasts and any newly planned spending revisions. NJ Spotlight News
Gov. Phil Murphy rejected a proposal this week to immediately allow all police and firefighters enrolled in New Jersey’s pension system to retire early with a reduced pension after 20 years of service. But the Democratic governor didn’t rule out the idea completely as he issued a conditional veto of the measure; instead, he suggested extending a law he signed temporarily providing the 20-and-out benefit by another three years and reassess its impact after that. If it still makes financial sense, he said, the pension system’s board can make the benefit permanent. NJ.com
State Sen. Robert Singer (R-30) will support Michael Noriega’s nomination, becoming the seventh senator— four Democrats and three Republicans—to say they’ll confirm Noriega. The seven votes puts Noriega one-third of the way to the 21 votes he needs for confirmation if he reaches the Senate floor. Singer was the lone Republican to vote to confirm Justice Rachel Wainer Apter, a former law clerk to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, last year and was the first senator of either party to endorse her nomination. Murphy’s other two top court nominees, Democrat Fabiana Pierre-Louis and Republican Douglas Fasciale, were confirmed unanimously. New Jersey Globe
Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law a bill that is focused on making it more difficult for thieves to sell stolen catalytic converters to scrap yards and making it easier for law enforcement to identify, locate, and prosecute violators. “We take seriously the safety of our residents and communities and will continue to confront this issue head on to further the tremendous progress we have made in reducing auto thefts,” said Murphy in a statement after the bill was signed May 15. “Addressing catalytic converter theft is another method of combating auto theft and crime in our state.” North-JerseyNews.com
The Montclair Board of Education voted to cut 31 teachers and 34 paraprofessionals from its budget for the upcoming school year. District spokesperson David Cantor said staff reductions are unavoidable to balance a $5.5 million budget deficit, which is exacerbated by a post-pandemic enrollment decline of 9% and nearly 80% of the school budget going to salaries and benefits. The Record
A bill that unanimously passed both houses of the state Legislature to allow New Jersey drivers to have a notation on their license that they’ve been diagnosed with autism was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy on May 15. The measure unanimously passed the state Assembly last month and the state Senate in February. Autism advocates said it is needed to avoid complications and misunderstandings when a driver with autism is stopped by police. NJ.com
And finally…New Jersey tourism rebounds after pandemic peaks. NJ Spotlight News
