| | | | |  | | By Daniel Han | | Presented by |  | | | Good Thursday morning! We could soon have more clarity on county lines for this year’s Democratic and Republican primary elections. The state’s unique ballot design — which places party-backed candidates prominently on primary ballots — has been wrapped up in federal litigation brought by Rep. Andy Kim and two Democratic House candidates. A federal judge’s preliminary injunction from March mandates office block ballots — where candidates are grouped together by the office they are seeking — for this June’s primary election, which is currently being appealed. A federal appeals panel will hear arguments Friday and is expected to quickly decide on whether it will keep the preliminary injunction in place. While the lower court’s preliminary injunction applies only to the Democratic primary, a separate lawsuit filed this week by longshot GOP candidates also seeks office block ballots for the Republican primary. Superior Court Judge John Harrington, who is overseeing the state lawsuit, is putting it on the fast-track; oral arguments in the state-level lawsuit are set for Friday and a decision is expected Monday afternoon. “If the Democratic Party is doing one ballot, how can the Republican Party have a different one?” Harrington said during a Wednesday hearing. “That's really what it boils down to.” Of course, the outcome of the federal appeal could impact the separate-but-related state lawsuit. During the hearing with attorneys, Harrington appeared open to office-block ballots for the GOP primary and frequently mentioned a state law that says that primary ballot designs “shall be alike in form for all political parties.” “The decisions Monday afternoon, no matter what,” Harrington said. “It has to be Monday afternoon. Right, wrong or indifferent.” TIPS? FEEDBACK? Email me at Dhan@politico.com. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I think it's ridiculous the amount of airtime it's gotten … I just think it's a flyspeck issue that people have conflated with Donald Trump and others and made this about an assault on democracy.” — Gov. Phil Murphy on the amount of attention the county line has received. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Robert Karabinchak, Mickey Quinn, Matt Brinn, Mark Meyerowitz, Pete Oneglia, Tim McDonough WHERE’S MURPHY? — At Princeton University to deliver remarks at the New Jersey Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit. PROGRAMMING NOTE — Matt’s off this week, so save any news dumps for Sunday afternoon.
| | A message from Alibaba: American businesses sold $66B worth of products in 2022 on Alibaba’s online marketplace. New Jersey-based companies such as Phyto-C partner with Alibaba to reach one billion consumers globally. The impact: U.S. sales on Alibaba supported over 10 thousand local jobs and contributed $1.3B to New Jersey's GDP in one year. Explore Alibaba’s local impact. | | | |  | WHAT TRENTON MADE | |
MURPHY STILL ALIVE — NJ Transit approves double-digit fare hike, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: New Jersey Transit’s board on Wednesday unanimously approved double-digit fare increases starting this summer and automatic annual increases for years to come. The 15 percent fare increases will help close a $100 million budget gap in the coming budget year, but will plug only a small chunk of the $900 billion gap that opens up next summer. The increases help avoid immediate service cuts and take effect July 1. But the transit agency’s long-term outlook remains unclear.
[REDACTED, REDACTED] THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE POLICE — “Bill to restrict sharing of police body cam footage sparks transparency concerns,” by The Monitor’s Sophie-Nieto Munoz: “A new bill would restrict the sharing of police body camera footage obtained through public records requests, with the bill’s sponsors saying they are concerned about videos that exploit young women’s interactions with police and are shared widely on social media. But the measure worries First Amendment advocates who call it an overreach. The new bill comes as lawmakers are also considering a revamp of the Open Public Records Act that transparency advocates say would gut the law, which governs the types of records governments are allowed to withhold from the public. ... Under the new bill, anyone who has obtained police body camera recordings through the Open Public Records Act and who is not a subject in the footage wouldn’t be allowed to share that footage without written consent from each party seen in the recording. The bill carves out disclosure exceptions if there is a 'legitimate public health or safety purpose or compelling public interest' in the video’s publication.” — “Should New Jersey voters get an extra hour to vote? Sen. Doug Steinhardt thinks so” — “NJ launches retirement savings program for some private-sector workers” — “NJ education officials say more resources could help SDA, learning loss”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | BIDEN TIME | |
GET WELL SOON — Prosecutors OK with delaying Menendez trial for wife’s health issues, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they are OK with a slight delay of Sen. Bob Menendez’s trial after his wife, who is a co-defendant, said she is dealing with an unspecified health issue. United States Attorney Damian Williams said in the legal filing to Judge Sidney Stein that his office “takes seriously” Nadine Menendez’s health issues and her request. Williams said the best way to proceed is by delaying the trial, set to start on May 6, further into the summer.
— “Delay in Menendez trial will help his son, but it’s unclear what that means to a Senate re-election bid”
| | A message from Alibaba: New Jersey skin care company Phyto-C grew revenue 600% after launching on Alibaba's online marketplace, which reaches over one billion consumers in China. This small business is among thousands of American brands growing global sales on Alibaba. In New Jersey alone, U.S. sales on Alibaba added $1.3B to the state GDP while supporting over 10 thousand full-time jobs in 2022.
“As a small business, none of this would have been possible without Alibaba. From day one, Alibaba supported our entry into the Chinese market by providing data-driven consumer insights that helped shape our marketing strategy and proactive guidance on supply chain and logistical hurdles,” said Dr. Eddie Omar, CEO of Phyto-C.
Learn more. | | | | | LOCAL | | HUNTERDON — “Hunterdon Democratic chair won’t seek re-election,” by the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “Arlene Quinones Perez will not seek re-election as the Hunterdon County Democratic chair, setting up a contest to replace her in a red county that is inching toward being politically competitive in general elections. ‘The last decade has allowed us to grow and strengthen as an organization, and I want to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported me and worked alongside me during my time as chair,’ she said in an email to county committee members. ‘I have always strived to work in the best interests of our constituents, and we have always worked with the sole goal of electing Democrats to office.’” IN YOUR BACKYARD — “Court tells wealthy NJ town: We'll decide where you'll put affordable housing,” by Gothamist’s Mike Hayes: “A judge is stripping one of New Jersey’s wealthiest communities of its ability to control where and how dozens of affordable housing units will be built, saying local leaders have shirked their responsibility to build a planned development for too long. Essex County Superior Court Judge Cynthia Santomauro on Tuesday appointed what's known as a special master to decide by June 1 where Millburn must build 75 affordable housing units. Current municipal leaders have resisted building them around the corner from their downtown’s shops, restaurants and fashionable boutiques, despite a previous mayor and the then-members of the township committee agreeing to do so in 2021. The special master could pick the current site and developer, if they conclude it’s the best option.” FOOD FIGHT — “Paterson pulls bill to restrict food distribution the poor, but it could return,” by the Paterson Press’ Darren Tobia: “[Rev. Sarah Anthony] joined about 30 other community members Tuesday evening in front of City Hall to protest a proposed ordinance that seeks to crack down on those distributing food and other items to people in need. Their complaints seemed to be heard. Hours after the protest, the City Council backed away from the ordinance, which was removed from the agenda at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. The proposed ordinance had been revised during the past week, including a change that eliminated a requirement that charity groups set up indoor areas where people could wait for food, clothing and other items. Critics had said the provision seemed like an attempt by City Hall to hide Paterson’s poverty problem."
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | — “'Put their greed first': Old Bridge teachers union calls on arrested BOE member to resign,” by MyCentralJersey’s Susan Loyer: “The Old Bridge teachers union has called for the resignation of the school board member charged with his wife with stealing more than $50,000 from a PTA and a youth sports program. Leonardo Marchetta, 42, and his wife Dana, 41, were charged Monday by Old Bridge police with stealing $41,067.90 from the Grissom School PTA and its vendors, and $12,417.16 from the Rebels Football and Cheer Program. Dana Marchetta, police said, was involved in the Grissom and Salk schools PTA organizations and the Rebels sports program, and allegedly misused her positions in the organizations for her own financial benefit.” AFTER THIS, HINDSIGHT MAY NOT BE 20/20 — “N.J. library apologizes for handing out possibly fake eclipse glasses,” by NJ Advance Media’s Brianna Kudisch: “A Burlington County library apologized Monday for distributing solar eclipse glasses that may have been dangerous. ‘Solar eclipse glasses distributed by the Library may be counterfeit,’ the Moorestown Library said in a Facebook post at 11:45 a.m., shortly before the eclipse was set to begin in New Jersey around 2:09 p.m. ‘They were purchased from Walmart.com. We have recently learned that though they are labeled as having been manufactured by Medical King, they may be counterfeit,’ the library’s message said.” — “Will New Jersey’s second-largest city be led by a Muslim mayor?” — Opinion: “McGreevey: Jersey City needs task force to fix dysfunctional BOE, school district”
| | | | Join POLITICO on Wednesday, April 17 at 6:00 p.m. ET for networking over cocktails and passed hors d'oeuvres. Don't miss your chance to meet POLITICO's New York editorial team and learn more about their coverage of current affairs in Albany. RSVP here. | | | | | | | EVERYTHING ELSE | |
RUTGERS — The Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University was vandalized around 4:30 Wednesday morning, the university said. Although the center was unoccupied at the time, several valuable items were destroyed or damaged — including a Palestinian flag and art with Quranic verses. Police said they were investigating the incident as a reported burglary, criminal mischief and bias crime.
The incident took place during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University, wrote in a message to the university community, “This despicable act, committed during Eid, cannot stand.” The attack also came just days after the six-month mark of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel and the resulting war in Gaza. “This Ramadan itself has been an interesting experience because we are witnessing so much atrocity,” Kaiser Aslam, the Muslim chaplain at Rutgers University, said after the attack. “Most of us woke up watching people pray in rubble in Gaza. It was interesting to see rubble in our own space. We are not going to let it dampen our spirit.” New Jersey’s office of the Attorney General said it is investigating the attack alongside state, county and university police along, with its Division on Civil Rights and the Division of Criminal Justice. “We will continue to work tirelessly, using every tool at our disposal to ensure that all New Jerseyans live without fear, knowing that our state’s diversity is supported, protected, and ensured,” Attorney General Matthew Platkin wrote in a statement. Rutgers Students for Justice in Palestine said in a statement on the attack: “This is a clear threat to the Muslim and Arab student body, and a pathetic act of cowardice. Islamophobia, anti-Palestinian racism, and all types of oppression are interconnected. We are heartbroken that this happened in a place that holds so much meaning for our community and has been such a strong support, and a space of comfort in our efforts for justice and liberation.” — Katherine Dailey — “Apple Store in New Jersey Files to Unionize in Renewed Push,” by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and Josh Eidelson. “An Apple Inc. retail store in the upscale town of Short Hills, New Jersey, has petitioned to unionize, marking the first such effort after a yearlong lull. The store, located within a mall, has 104 employees that would be part of the union if the effort moves forward. The staff, represented by Communications Workers of America, filed its petition with the National Labor Relations Board on Monday.” — “Opponents of smoking in casinos try to enlist shareholders of gambling companies in non-smoking push,” by the Associated Press’ Wayne Parry: “Add investors to the list of people that opponents of smoking in casinos are enlisting in hopes of banning the practice. A national non-smoking group and a Michigan health system have placed shareholder proposals on the agenda of annual meetings for two major gambling companies and are likely to add a third. The measures ask the companies to study potential financial benefits of going smoke-free at their casino properties. And while it remains to be seen whether the proposals will be approved by investors, the move represents yet another aspect of an effort by casino smoking foes to leave no stone unturned in their drive to end smoking in gambling halls.” — “AtlantiCare announces six-year plan to become a $2B company” — “Banking, finance sector layoffs hit NJ, include Prudential and JPMorgan Chase” — “Peter McDonough retiring from Rutgers post”
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