Former Senate President Steve Sweeney has filed a lawsuit to challenge his ouster from the commission charged with redrawing state legislative district boundaries.
Sweeney’s complaint charges that state Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones did not have the authority to remove him as one of the Apportionment Commission’s five Democratic members on Wednesday and replace him with Belmar resident Laura Matos.
Former Senate President Steve Sweeney has filed a lawsuit to challenge his ouster from the commission charged with redrawing state legislative district boundaries.
Sweeney’s complaint charges that state Democratic Chair LeRoy Jones did not have the authority to remove him as one of the Apportionment Commission’s five Democratic members on Wednesday and replace him with Belmar resident Laura Matos.
Sweeney, who was Senate president for 12 years before losing reelection in a shocking November upset, is seeking to overturn Jones’ decision and get a temporary restraining order to quickly get back on the commission.
The lawsuit: Former Democratic State Chair John Currie appointed Sweeney to the commission in late 2020 after delaying it for months. Sweeney’s appointment was part of a deal struck among Democrats to keep Currie in office as state chair at the time and eventually elevate Jones to the position.
“The New Jersey Constitution does not provide for the removal of a member of the Commission once appointed,” the lawsuit reads. “Further, the New Jersey Constitution does not permit the appointment or certification of a member of the Commission beyond the constititional deadlines.”