N.J. Stat. tit. 19, ch. 46

N.J. Stat. tit. 19, ch. 46
in effect

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-6 New Jersey Redistricting Commission

1. There is hereby established the New Jersey Redistricting Commission, which shall establish the Congressional districts for use in the decade of the 1990s. L.1991,c.510,s.1; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-7 Membership of commission

2. a. The commission shall consist of 13 members. The members of the commission shall be appointed with due consideration to geographic, ethnic and racial diversity and in the manner provided herein. b. There shall first be appointed 12 as follows: (1) two members to be appointed by the President of the Senate; (2) two members to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; (3) two members to be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; (4) two members to be appointed by the minority leader of the General Assembly; and (5) four members, two to be appointed by the chairman of the State committee of the political party whose candidate for Governor received the largest numbers of votes at the most recent gubernatorial election and two to be appointed by the chairman of the State committee of the political party whose candidate for Governor received the next largest number of votes at that election. Appointments to the commission under this subsection shall be made as soon as practicable after the enactment of this act but not later than the seventh day after enactment and shall be certified by the appointing authorities to the Secretary of State as soon as practicable thereafter but no later than the fifth day after the appointments are made. c. There shall then be appointed one member, to serve as an independent member, who shall not have held elected public or party office in this State at any time during the three year period immediately prior to appointment to the commission. The independent member shall be appointed by the previously appointed members of the commission as follows: the members appointed by the appointing officials of the political party whose candidate for Governor received the largest number of votes at the preceding gubernatorial election shall as a group select three nominees meeting the foregoing qualifications, and the members appointed by the appointing officials of the political party whose candidate for Governor received the next largest number of votes at that election shall do the same. If one person is nominated by both groups, then that person shall be the independent member, and if more than one person is nominated by both groups, the previous appointees shall by lot choose one of them to be the independent member. If no person is nominated by both groups, the members shall elect the independent member by ballot upon the vote of seven of the previously appointed members. Appointment to the commission of the independent member under this subsection shall be made as soon as practicable but no later than the seventh day after the appointment of the other members of the commission and the certification shall be made as soon as practicable thereafter but no later than the fifth day after the appointment is made. Once selected, the independent member shall serve as chairman of the commission. If the other members are unable to appoint an independent member within the time allowed therefor, the appointment of those other members shall be void and each of the appointing officials shall, as soon as practicable, appoint to be members of the commission persons other than those originally selected to be members and the selection process of the independent member shall proceed again as provided for by this section. d. No person shall serve as a member of the commission who is a member of the Congress of the United States or a Congressional employee or has served as such during the one-year period prior to the appointment of the members of the commission. L.1991,c.510,s.2; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-8 Organizational meeting; quorum; vacancies

3. The commission shall meet to organize as soon as may be practicable after the appointment of the independent member but not later than February 15, 1992. At the organizational meeting the members of the commission shall determine such organizational matters as they deem appropriate. Thereafter, a meeting of the commission may be called by the chairman or upon the request of seven members, and seven members of the commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof for the purpose of taking any action. Vacancies in the membership of the commission occurring prior to the certification by the commission of Congressional districts or during any period in which the districts established by the commission may be or are under challenge in the courts of this State or the courts of the United States shall be filled within five days of their occurrence in the same manner as the original appointments were made. L.1991,c.510,s.3; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-9 Certification of Congressional districts

4. On or before March 20, 1992, or within three months after receipt by the Governor of the official statement by the Clerk of the House of Representatives regarding the number of Representatives to which the State is entitled, pursuant to section 2a of 2 U.S.C., whichever is later, the commission shall certify the establishment of the Congressional districts to the Secretary of State. The commission shall certify the establishment of districts pursuant to a majority vote of its members. Any vote by the commission upon a proposal to certify the establishment of a Congressional district plan shall be taken by roll call and shall be recorded, and the vote of any member in favor of any Congressional district plan shall nullify any vote which he shall previously have cast during the life of the commission in favor of a different Congressional district plan. Any Congressional district plan introduced by a member of the commission shall be considered for adoption by the commission and subject to a recorded vote to ascertain the level of support for that plan among the members. If the commission is unable to certify the establishment of districts by the time required due to the inability of a plan to achieve seven votes, the two district plans receiving the greatest number of votes, but not fewer than five votes, shall be submitted to the Supreme Court, which shall select and certify whichever of the two plans so submitted conforms most closely to the standards established in section 5 of this act. The independent member of the commission may vote only when the vote of the other members of the commission in favor of a Congressional district plan results in a tie. L.1991,c.510,s.4; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-10 Districting standards

5. a. The plan certified by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission for the establishment of Congressional districts shall provide for equality of population among districts; for the preservation of minority voting status within each district; for the geographical contiguity of individual districts; and for reasonable protection for districts from decade to decade against disruptive alteration due to redistricting. b. (1) In the plan, the population of each Congressional district shall be as nearly equal as practicable, and the difference in population between the most populous and least populous districts as small as practicable, as required by the Constitution of the United States and all applicable decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. (2) No Congressional district shall be established which fragments an ethnic or racial minority community which, if left intact, would constitute a majority or significant number of voters or potential voters within a single district with the ability to elect the candidate of their choice. For the purposes of this paragraph, a minority community means any group enjoying special protection under the civil rights provisions of the Constitution of the United States and the federal "Voting Rights Act of 1965," as amended and supplemented (42 U.S.C. s. 1973 et seq.). c. Congressional districts shall be drawn so that they are contiguous. d. To the fullest extent reasonable and when not in conflict with the foregoing standards, Congressional districts shall be drawn to preserve continuity from decade to decade. L.1991,c.510,s.5; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-11 Meetings of the commission

6. Meetings of the New Jersey Redistricting Commission shall be held at convenient times and locations. The commission shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the State. The commission shall, subject to the constraints of time and convenience, review written plans for the establishment of Congressional districts submitted by members of the general public. Notwithstanding any statute, rule or regulation to the contrary, the commission shall not be subject to the "Open Public Meetings Act," P.L.1975, c.231 (C.10:4-6 et seq.). L.1991,c.510,s.6; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-12 Use of districts

7. The establishment of Congressional districts shall be used thereafter for the election of members of the House of Representatives and shall remain unaltered through the next year ending in zero in which a federal census for New Jersey is taken, unless such districts are ruled invalid by the courts of this State or the United States. L.1991,c.510,s.7; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-13 Original and exclusive jurisdiction of Supreme Court

8. Notwithstanding any statute, rule or regulation to the contrary and except as otherwise required by the Constitution of the United States or by any federal law, no court of this State shall have jurisdiction over any judicial proceeding challenging the actions of the New Jersey Redistricting Commission, including its establishment of Congressional districts under this act, except that the Supreme Court of this State shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction to consider any cause brought upon the petition of a legally qualified voter of the State and to grant relief appropriate to the cause, including the issuance of an order to the commission to establish new districts. The Court shall give any petition filed as provided herein precedence over all other matters. It shall render judgment within 30 days of the date on which the petition is filed. L.1991,c.510,s.8; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.

N.J. Stat. § 19:46-14 Assistance to commission

9. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of such staff or employees of any State, county or municipal department, board, bureau, commission or agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes, and to employ such stenographic, clerical and professional assistance as it may deem necessary in order to perform its duties, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it for its purposes. L.1991,c.510,s.9; per s.12, expired January 1, 2001.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/legislative-activity/statutesFetched: 10/17/2026