Harris' Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings Begin

Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris will be in Trenton Thursday morning for the start of his confirmation hearings for before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Harris was nominated to the days after he was sworn in as the mayor of Chatham Borough. If confirmed, he will resign the role of mayor.

Phillip H. Kwon, of Closter, was also nominated at the same time. If confirmed, Harris will be the first openly gay man to sit on the state's highest court and Kwon will be the first Asian American.

Harris was raised in Iowa, the oldest of 12 siblings. He moved to the borough from Boston in 1981, into an Elmwood Avenue home he still lives in with his partner, Marc Boisclair.

Donna Cali-Charles lives in Harris' neighborhood and has known him for about 10 years. The two served on the Planning Board together, Harris first as a council liaison and then as mayor and Cali-Charles as a regular board member.

"I've really enjoyed working with him. I've found him to be fair and thorough," Cali-Charles said. "I'm really happy for him, [but] sad for Chatham."

Vicki Fife has known Boisclair "for years," and Harris through him. When she announced her candidacy for the , she got to know Harris more closely.

"I like [Harris] a good deal," Fife said. "He deserves whatever he wants to do. He's bright, he's articulate, he's deliberate, he's a good man."

Fife also describes Harris as "a leader," one who was "born to be in [the] role" of mayor. More than that, she said, "he's very thoughtful. He makes no decision before he looks at every angle. I know other people have said that about him, and I think that's 100 percent true."

Stephen Goldstein, the chairman of Garden State Equality, gave Harris his endorsement because of his "superb credentials ... [and] important government experience."

Both Harris and Kwan have been criticized by some, including State Director Steve Lonegan of the Americans for Prosperity and State Sen. Richard Codey, for their lack of judicial experience.

After Christie announced his nominees, confidential information submitted to the Judiciary Committee by Harris and Kwon was leaked to The Star-Ledger. The information included career backgrounds and details, property owned and debts.

State senators Thomas Kean Jr. and Gerald Cardinale, who represents Closter, and "damaged the integrity of the confirmation process."

Former State Sen. Leanna Brown, who represented Chatham Borough and still lives in the area, disagreed with the criticisms. "Bruce is an outstanding lawyer, and he'll make a fine justice," she said. "You can never tell how anybody's going to rule, but certainly his record as a member of the Chatham Council has been one of examining everything very closely."

"Is that the type of person that I think would make a good judge? Absolutely," Fife said.

Brown said she thinks both Harris and Kwon will "be approved eventually. I think they'll be challenged by the committee, which is OK."

Harris, 61, earned his bachelor's degree in 1973 from Amherst College, where he graduated magna cum laude. He also holds an MBA in finance and economics from Boston University, earned in 1979, and a law degree from Yale Law School, which he earned in 1992. He has been admitted to the bar in New Jersey, New York and Washington.

Harris has been a resident in the borough for 30 years and a volunteer for about 15 years. While serving on the Environmental Commission, Dick Plambeck asked Harris to serve out his term as council member while he served as mayor. Harris stood for election to the council twice since then, once in 2005 and once in 2008.

When he was in November, Vice President Denis Dison of The Victory Fund said he believed Harris was the to be elected mayor in the country.

The state Senate Judiciary Committee has 13 members, including a chair, Nicholas P. Scutari, and a vice-chair, Nia H. Gill.

NJTV will provide coverage of the hearings throughout the day, and analysis of the hearings during their evening program of "NJ Today."

Harris has declined comment on the proceedings.