New York County Supreme Court building at 60 Centre Street

FACT: If Union County Democratic Chairman Charlotte DeFilippo were to become a Union County Superior Court judge she would be allowed to preside over cases brought against the party faithful and their family members from the bench.

Union County Superior Court Judges Katherine Brock and John Malone are former Union County Democratic Chairmen that directly preceded DeFilippo. This doesn’t keep them from presiding over cases against democratic powerbroker Sen. Raymond Lesniak’s nephew and other politically connected families.

Not that there is anything wrong with that in a legal sense. No where in the Code of Judicial Conduct does it say a Judge who is a former Union County Democratic Chair should not preside over lawsuits in which a Senator’s, family is concerned. Even if the Senator facilitated their appointment.

Although Judge Wortimer ruled on various motions somehow Judge Catherine Brock will decide this Friday weather a case brought against the Union County Manager, George Devanney by a former employee will be thrown out on a technicality. At issue is the lawsuit named the Union County Freeholders, and not Union County.

You have to wonder if the average citizen can shop around the Courthouse for a Judge until they get the ruling they want.

Catherine Brock was appointed to the bench when only one Democratic Senator was in office, Senator Raymond Lesniak – George Devanney’s uncle.

From what I could gather on the process, which isn’t in writing – even though the secret Mafia Ritual of Induction now is - prospective jurists contact the party chairman and/or state senators in their county, sometimes they go to their senators first, sometimes to the chair - it depends upon their relationships, who then ask the Governor to nominate them.

The process in which a would-be judge is nominated by the Governor is apparently paperless or it might as well be. The Open Public Records Act exempted lawmakers from revealing their letters. You might try the governor’s office for any letters, but chances are they will invoke executive privilege.

The incription in the above photo is a quote from George Washington - “The true administration of justice is the firmest pillar of good government”.

Tina Renna is president of the Union County Watchdog Association, she can be reached at tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org.

In June 2009 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that elected judges must step aside from cases when large campaign contributions from interested parties create the appearance of bias.

New Jersey Superior Court judges are appointed by power brokers. Shouldn’t they be made to recuse themselves from politically charged cases? Consider recent rulings by Judge John Malone who is a former Democrat Chairman whose wife works for Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage.

It was Judge Malone that was originally assigned to the absentee ballot case brought by Christine Dansereau in Roselle three years ago. He promptly threw it out. He claimed Dansereau’s argument was “convoluted, contradictory and confusing.” A Superior Court appellate panel later, reversed Judge Malone’s decision to dismiss the case. They ruled that Malone was too narrow and restrictive in his view of the law in dismissing the matter.

Just last week the state Attorney General’s office filed charges against Roselle Council President Jamel Holley, accusing him of illegally filling out the absentee ballots.

The Star-Ledger reports today that Judge John Malone, ruled against newly elected Hillside mayor and democrat machine nemesis Joseph Menza after the township’s governing body sued him for allegedly illegally installing his executive appointments after he took office in July.

Can the public trust the judicial system, a cornerstone of democracy, when judges appointed by powerbrokers are narrow and restrictive in their views of the law affecting the power of the very people that appointed them? Our judges in Union County have been appointed by the same Democrat powerbrokers for a decade now and apparently they have no rules or code of conduct to follow when it comes to recusing themselves from politically charged cases. Therefore the public can have no trust in the integrity of our judicial system.

Judge Malone, is just another sign pointing to a fascist society existing here in Union County.

Tina Renna is the President of the Union County Watchdog Association. She can be reached at tinarenna@unioncountywatchdog.org.