Gov. Phil Murphy praise the process at a coronavirus briefing earlier this month.
Murphy described the unwritten rule, which allows Senators to block gubernatorial nominees who hail from their home county, as an occasionally annoying but necessary evil. I think it s been largely a good thing over time, Murphy said.
Defenders of the courtesy tradition have long argued that it lets individual senators serve as a check on one of the most powerful governors in the nation. But for Statehouse veterans, like Golden, courtesy simply gives senators the leverage to horse trade with the governor s office.
Senators will often threaten to hold nominees hostage in exchange for some unrelated matter, like funding for a port project or a patronage post for an ally. Senators can block or delay nominees from Senate confirmation without ever having to explain why.