This morning the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee planned to approve a long list of Gov. Phil Murphy’s nominations for various judgeships and boards. Included on the agenda was Dr. Claudine Keenan for a seat on the State Board of Education, replacing Andrew Mulvihill.

Instead, at the last moment Keenan was pulled from the agenda.

Technically this was an “emergency” meeting of the Judiciary Committee, occurring as it did after Election Day but before newly-elected legislators are sworn in. For a nomination to win confirmation during lame-duck, two-thirds of members must vote “yes.” In this case Sen. Brian Stack, the Chair of the committee, didn’t believe he had the votes.

While the Committee has approved two of Gov. Murphy’s nominations to the State Board of Education—Mary Bennett and Jeanette Pena—four others have languished. Serena Rice, James Williams, and Dr. Kwanghee Jung, along with Keenan, have yet to come up for a vote.. If they are not approved by tomorrow, the end of the lame-duck session, Gov. Murphy will have to re-nominate them during the next regular legislative session.

In a statement last week, the Governor’s Office said, “The Governor urges the Senate to confirm the remaining nominees swiftly to best serve New Jersey’s public education system.”

There is currently no Judiciary Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow.

[photo credit] Flickr: Phil Murphy