Christie: Committee Wrong for Not Picking Harris

In the wake of Chatham Borough Mayor , Gov. Chris Christie said Senate Democrats proved they would rather reject a qualified Republican than give nominees a fair chance.

"Democrats decided that merit doesn’t actually matter. That intellect doesn’t actually matter. That temperament doesn’t actually matter. That diversity doesn’t actually matter. The only thing that matters is politics,” Christie said.

Harris and Phillip Kwon of Chester were on Jan. 23 of this year. In advance of the hearing, Christie's office released several statements highlighting Harris' education and legal experience at two of the state's top law firms, where he worked as an attorney.

At both firms, Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland and Perretti and Greenberg Traurig, Harris did not litigate cases in court or publish legal arguments or briefs for public consumption, both of which were cited by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for voting against him.

Harris also holds a BA degree from Amherst College, where he graduated magna cum laude, and an MBA from Boston University.

"At today’s hearing, we learned what we already knew: there is no doubt that Bruce Harris has the breadth of experience and the intellect to stand alongside members of the New Jersey Supreme Court, past and present," the statement reads.

"Bruce is an experienced lawyer, a man of respected intellect with a strong academic background and a public servant. However, the Democrats decided that it has nothing to do with Bruce’s nor Phil Kwon’s qualifications, judicial philosophy or recusal. They just don’t want another Republican on the Court."