N.J. Governor Picks
New Attorney General
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
on the Web, August 24, 2006
Gov. Jon S. Corzine announced this
afternoon that he was appointing his chief legal counsel, Stuart J. Rabner, as
the 25th attorney general of New Jersey.
“I have never had more confidence in an individual to serve in a prospective
role that I have had the opportunity to choose someone for,” Mr. Corzine said.
“It’s fair to say that in my life’s experience, I’ve dealt with few, if any,
individuals with a higher standard of integrity and intelligence or are more
committed to excellence than Stuart,” the governor said. “His professional
history and experience as a respected, effective prosecutor and lawyer speaks
for itself. His judgment and breadth of capacity are exceptional with
respect to both the law and public policy.
“And I trust him.”
Mr. Rabner, 46, said at a news conference late this afternoon, “I’m mindful of
how daunting the task is.”
Known for his honesty and integrity, Mr. Rabner was appointed the governor’s
chief counsel earlier this year. The appointment was widely hailed as a
sign that Mr. Corzine was serious about cleaning up politics in Trenton.
In July Mr. Rabner made the decision that a special prosecutor should
investigate Attorney General Zulima V. Farber after she went to the scene of a
traffic stop, where her live-in companion had been pulled over by the police.
In a report released on Aug. 14, the special prosecutor, Richard J. Williams,
said Ms. Farber should not face criminal prosecution but that she had violated
ethics rules. The same day the report was made public, Ms. Farber
announced that she would resign, effective Aug. 31.
The son of Holocaust survivors who immigrated to the United States in 1950, Mr.
Rabner grew up in Passaic, N.J. He graduated from Princeton summa cum
laude and Harvard Law School cum laude.
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