Tuesday, March 19, 2024 1:29PMNew Jersey's one-of-a-kind method of drawing primary ballots prompted some apparent skepticism from a federal judge Monday as he considered a legal challenge claiming the system favors preferred candidates of establishment party leaders.
Menendez hasn't announced his plans, but many Democrats have abandoned him, calling for his resignation. He's pleaded not guilty and vowed to fight the charges. U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi set aside Monday to decide whether to grant an emergency injunction to end the county line system. March 25 is the filing deadline for the primary, and he told defendants' attorneys in court that he wouldn't take too much time "so you can force the court to be able to say, 'It's too late, Judge'."
He responded tersely to a defendant's attorney who argued that the current system had been in place for 100 years. Kim, a three-term congressman, watched hours of testimony and cross-examination of an elections expert his attorneys brought as a witness before taking the stand himself.