New Jersey Democratic Party, Inc. v. Samson

The opinion of the Court was delivered by

PORITZ, C.J.

By order dated October 2, 2002, we granted relief permitting the New Jersey Democratic State Committee to select a candidate to replace Senator Robert G. Torricelli on the November 2002 ballot. We issued the Order without opinion because, in our view, “the interests of justice require[d] the immediate issuance of an Order disposition with the Court’s opinion to follow in due course.” New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, 175 N.J. 172, at 176, 814 A.2d 1027 (2002).

This opinion sets forth the basis for our disposition.

I

On September 30, 2002,…