Harris' Confirmation Hearing Postponed

The confirmation hearing for Chatham Borough Mayor Bruce Harris, one of  Gov. Chris Christie's two nominees to the Supreme Court of New Jersey, was postponed Thursday as the Senate Judiciary Committee filled the day with Phillip Kwon

Ultimately the committee voted to reject Kwon with a 7-6 nay vote along party lines, with Democrats voting to reject the nominee.

In a hearing which lasted most of the day Thursday, Kwon was quizzed on a lawsuit involving a liquor store owned by his mother and wife. About an hour was spent on Kwon's qualifications from his work in the attorney general's office.

During the hearing, Kwon testified he came to the US with his parents from Korea when he was 6. His parents eventually opened up a liquor store in Mount Vernon, NY. The two worked seven days a week, Kwon said, to earn "a better life for themselves and a better life for me."

When his father fell ill, Kwon's wife took over half of the business and his parents moved in with them.

For at least a year, Kwon's mother regularly deposited money from the store in amounts under $10,000. Transactions over that amount trigger notifications within the government and require a Currency Transaction Report (CTR).

Kwon testified his mother did not want to carry large amounts of cash and so got into the habit of depositing the money. All the money earned from the store was deposited and reported, he said, and taxes were paid on it.

"She made a mistake," Kwon said.

When he learned the bank was closing the store's account, Kwon advised his mother to change her practice. When the US Attorney's Office got involved and seized nearly $300,000, he said he helped her find a lawyer but "absolutely [did] not" use his contacts or influence to shape the outcome.

His mother settled with the government for about $160,000.

"My parents may not be giants of history, but they are giants to me," Kwon said in his opening statement to the committee Thursday.

The Democratic committee members who voted against Kwon said their main concern was the lawsuit with his mother. They said they were not satisfied with the answers they had received so far.

Representatives from labor unions and civic organizations said they were concerned primarily because the governor has, throughout New Jersey history, tried to keep a balance of republicans and democrats on the bench. By nominating two republicans the make-up of the bench would be weighted with five Republicans and two Democrats.

Kwon is a registered independent. He testified he had once registered as a Republican at a time when he wanted "to become more involved in politics," but changed his mind and went back to registering as an independent.

Harris is a registered Republican.

Republican committee members Gerald Cardinale, Kevin O’Toole, Joe Kyrillos, Christopher Bateman, and Michael J. Doherty released a statement after the vote calling the rejection of Kwon a "disgrace."

The republicans said Kwon was qualified for the Supreme Court and had gone through a character assassination unlike any previous nominee.

"Faced with a nominee whom there was no rational basis to reject, the Majority decided to create one based on the actions of others for which he bears no legal, ethical, or personal responsibility," the statement read.