A conservative group is attacking New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as he campaigns in Iowa today for Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. Carrie Severino, a spokeswoman for The Judicial Crisis Network, says Christie “talked a good talk” about when he first ran for governor, but wound up appointing “liberal activist judges” to New Jersey courts.
“Unfortunately when he went to actually nominate judges, he didn’t have any kind of process for making sure that these judges were ones that were committed to a constitutional philosophy consistent with the rule of law,” Severino says.
The group has a website — Christie Bad on Judges. Severino is particularly critical of Christie’s decision to strike a deal with Democrats who control the New Jersey legislature by agreeing renominate a Democrat as chief justice of New Jersey’s Supreme Court if they’d confirm another judge, who is a Republican, as well. Severino says there’s “no evidence” either of those two judges have a “solid judicial philosophy” and she argues Christie is “the poster child” of how not to make judicial appointments.
“He really has just completely gone back on his promise and we’re hoping the people of Iowa and throughout America recognize the importance of this issue,” Severino says.
Christie held a private fundraiser this morning for the Republican Governors Association. It was held at the home of Kyle and Sharon Krause, owners of the Kum ‘N Go convenience store chain and the price for entry was $25,000 per person. Over the noon-hour Christie is headlining another private fundraiser in Cedar Rapids for Republicans in the Iowa House of Representatives. The New Jersey governor’s first public appearance is at 3 p.m. at a Marion restaurant, then he’s scheduled to speak at an event this evening in Davenport to raise money for Governor Branstad’s re-election campaign.
HIs trip is attracting national attention and spurring chatter about his presidential prospects. The vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee is in Des Moines today to hold a news conference to talk about the “bridgegate” scandal in which legislative investigators say a former aide to Christie ordered bridge lanes closed last fall to cause major traffic jams as a political punishment to a local mayor.