The Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey will take office for the first time in the U.S. state of New Jersey on January, 2010 and will be elected conjointly with the Governor of New Jersey. The position was created as the result of a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution passed by the voters on November 8, 2005 and effective as of January 17, 2006. A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, with the District of Columbia, forms the United States of America. ... Official language(s) None defined, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 47th 22,608 km² 110 km 240 km 14. ... This is a list of governors of New Jersey. ... A constitutional amendment is an alteration to the constitution of a nation or a state. ... The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the highest law of the state. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Governor shall appoint the Lieutenant Governor to serve as the head of a principal department or other executive or administrative agency of State government, or delegate to the Lieutenant Governor duties of the office of Governor, or both. The Governor shall not appoint the Lieutenant Governor to serve as Attorney General. The Lieutenant Governor shall in addition perform such other duties as may be provided by law. (Article V, Section I, paragraph 10)

Background

The Governor of New Jersey is considered one of the most powerful governorships in the nation, as it is currently the only state-wide (non-federal) elected office in the state. Thus, unlike many other states that have elections for cabinet level positions, the New Jersey State Constitution allows the governor to appoint them. In the event of a gubernatorial vacancy, the New jersey Constitution specified that the President of the New Jersey Senate (followed by the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly) would assume the role of Acting Governor and retain their powerful role in the Senate (or Assembly). An Acting Governor would then assume the powerful governorship while retaining the reins of power in their house of the legislature. The New Jersey Senate is the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature. ... The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. ...

This situation has occurred twice in recent years: when Christine Todd Whitman stepped down in 2001 to assume the position of administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; and when James E. McGreevey resigned on November 15, 2004. At both occasions, New Jersey's constitution (along with Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wyoming) had no position of Lieutenant Governor. After Whitman's resignation, Donald DiFrancesco became Acting Governor. In McGreevey's case, Richard Codey became the Acting Governor. In both situations, the Acting Governor concurrently served as President of the State Senate. Christine Todd Whitman Christine Todd Christie Whitman (born September 26, 1946) is an American Republican politician, the former Governor of New Jersey, and the former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush. ... EPA redirects here. ... Jim McGreevey James Edward Jim McGreevey (born August 6, 1957) is a United States Democratic politician. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State nickname: The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Official languages English Capital Phoenix Largest city Phoenix Governor Janet Napolitano (D) Senators John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 6th 295,254 km² 0. ... State nickname: The Pine Tree State Official languages None Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Governor John Baldacci (D) Senators Olympia Snowe (R) Susan Collins (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 39th 86,542 km² 13. ... State nickname: Granite State, Mother of Rivers, White Mountain State, Switzerland of America [1] Official languages English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Governor John Lynch (D) Senators Judd Gregg (R) John Sununu (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 46th 24,239 km² 3. ... State nickname: Beaver State Official languages None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Governor Ted Kulongoski (D) Senators Ron Wyden (D) Gordon Smith (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 9th 255,026 km² 2. ... State nickname: Volunteer State Official languages English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Governor Phil Bredesen (D) Senators Bill Frist (R) Lamar Alexander (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 36th 109,247 km² 2. ... State nickname: Mountain State Official languages English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Senators Robert Byrd (D) Jay Rockefeller (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 41st 62,809 km² 0. ... State nickname: Equality State Official languages English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Governor Dave Freudenthal (D) Senators Craig Thomas (R) Mike Enzi (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 0. ... A Lieutenant Governor is a government official who is the subordinate or deputy of a Governor or Governor-General. ... Donald DiFrancesco Donald Thomas DiFrancesco (b. ...

While concerns had long been raised regarding the succession in the event of a vacancy, these two resignations in a span of a few years raised greater public attention to the issue. Justifications for the creation of a Lieutenant Governor position focused on three primary issues:

• Unelected / Nonrepresentative Successor - The Senate President is elected to the Senate by the voters in only one of the forty legislative districts statewide. The Senate President is chosen by the members of the New Jersey Senate, and was not elected by voters statewide to be a potential gubernatorial successor.
• Separation of Powers - In a state with an extremely powerful position of Governor, having the Senate President assume the role of Acting Governor violates the checks and balances that the separation of powers of the executive and legislative roles of government is intended to provide.
• Can be from different party - There is no guarantee that the Senate President (or the Lieutenant Governor) will follow the legislative platform of his predecessor. As the Senate President may not even be from the same party, there is even greater concern that the policies of the Acting Governor might be in conflict with those of the preceding governor.

Separation of powers (or trias politica, a term coined by Montesquieu) is a model of democracy that involves the separation of political power between three branches of the state: The Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ...

Lieutenant Governor amendment

With these concerns in mind, on Election Day, November 8, 2005, the voters passed an amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution that creates the position of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey effective with the 2009 elections. The amendment also provides that in the event of a permanent vacancy in the office of Governor after January 17, 2006 (when the next Governor is sworn in) and before the first Lieutenant Governor takes office in 2010, the President of the Senate, followed by the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, would become Governor but will then be required to vacate his or her Senate (or Assembly) seat. The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. ...

The amendment provides a new order of succession:

In the event of a vacancy in the office of Governor resulting from the death, resignation or removal of a Governor in office, or the death of a Governor-elect, or from any other cause, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor, until a new Governor is elected and qualifies.

In the event of simultaneous vacancies in both the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor resulting from any cause, the President of the Senate shall become Governor until a new Governor or Lieutenant Governor is elected and qualifies. In the event that there is a vacancy in the office of Senate President, or the Senate President declines to become Governor, then the Speaker of the General Assembly shall become Governor until a new Governor or Lieutenant Governor is elected and qualifies. In the event that there is a vacancy in the office of Speaker of the General Assembly, or if the Speaker declines to become Governor, then the functions, powers, duties and emoluments of the office shall devolve for the time being upon such officers and in the order of succession as may be provided by law, until a new Governor or Lieutenant Governor is elected and qualifies. (Article V, Section I, paragraph 6)

See also

• List of Lieutenant Governors of New Jersey
• List of Governors of New Jersey

On November 8, 2005 Public Question #1 Constitutional Amendment to Establish the office of the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey was passed by New Jersey voters (YES 834,134 / NO 655,333) and accordingly the first election for Lieutenant Governor will be held on the day of the General Election... This is a list of governors of New Jersey. ...

External link

• New Jersey State Constitution