Thursday, April 12, 2012

Kyrillos: If Kwon Wasn't Qualified, Who Is?

New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee member Joe Kyrillos (R- Monmouth) said today that continued frustration in New Jersey's Korean and Asian-American communities over the politically motivated rejection of Philip Kwon to the New Jersey Supreme Court is well-justified.

"Phil Kwon was as fine a nominee as any who has come before the Senate in my career," said Kyrillos. "If Phil Kwon isn't qualified for the bench, then who is? Only in Trenton could rumor, innuendo, and outright falsehoods be used to railroad a Supreme Court nominee who has spent his entire career prosecuting public corruption and violent criminals on behalf of New Jersey residents."

Kyrillos said that the justification given by the Majority members of the committee for rejecting Kwon still does not withstand scrutiny. In particular, Kyrillos pointed to the false assertion that Kwon's confirmation would upset the traditional partisan balance of the Court because Associate Justice Jaynee LaVecchia is a Republican, despite news accounts and voter registration history to the contrary.

"Nothing that came to light in the confirmation hearing cast doubt upon the integrity or qualifications of the nominee, and Mr. Kwon's confirmation would not have upset the traditional partisan balance of the Court," Kyrillos continued. "The people in New Jersey, and particularly members of the Korean community who would have for the first time had one of their own on the state's highest court, deserve an explanation as to why partisan politics was more important than seating a well-qualified jurist."

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