Monroe Jay Lustbader (January 15, 1931 – March 16, 1996) was an American
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
and the
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment.
...
, before receiving his degrees in law from Rutgers Law School. He was a resident of Millburn, New Jersey.
An attorney and real estate developer, Lustbader first ran for office in 1973, as the Republican candidate for Assemblyman in the newly created 26th district, which included West Orange, East Orange and Orange. He lost to Democrats
Richard J. Codey
Richard James Codey (born November 27, 1946) is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd governor of New Jersey from 2004 to 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1982 and served as the President of the Senate ...
, a future
Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
who was running for his first term in the Legislature, and freshman Democratic Assemblyman Eldridge Hawkins. Codey received 30,282 votes, followed by Hawkins (28,102), Republican John F. Trezza (13,978) and Lustbader (12,502).
In 1981, Lustbader became the Republican candidate for the Essex CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders and was elected, defeating one-term Democratic incumbent Renee Lane. He was re-elected in 1984, 1987 and 1990.
Lustbader ran again for the State Assembly in 1991, this time in a newly drawn Essex County- Union County seat that favored the Republicans. Running with five-term Assemblywoman
Maureen Ogden
Maureen Black Ogden (November 1, 1928 – August 17, 2022) was an American Republican Party politician who served seven terms in the New Jersey General Assembly between 1982 and 1996. She represented the 22nd Legislative District for five ter ...
, he defeated incumbent Democratic Assemblyman
Neil M. Cohen
Neil M. Cohen (born February 11, 1951) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1994 to 2008 where he represented the 20th Legislative District. He had also served in the Assembly from the 2 ...
by more than 13,000 votes, 33,914 to 20,460. He was re-elected in 1993 and 1995.
A decision by the
New Jersey Casino Control Commission
The Casino Control Commission is a New Jersey state governmental agency that was founded in 1977 as the state's Gaming Control Board, responsible under the Casino Control Act for licensing casinos in Atlantic City. The commission also issues lic ...
in 1992 to allow round-the-clock
gambling in New Jersey
Gambling in New Jersey includes casino gambling in Atlantic City, the New Jersey Lottery, horse racing, off-track betting, charity gambling, amusement games, and social gambling. New Jersey's gambling laws are among the least restrictive in the ...
at Atlantic City's casinos angered Lustbader, who had proposed a bill that would limit 24-hour gambling to certain times of the year, stating that "there has to be a break in those hours to give the people a chance psychologically to cool off to avoid people losing the rent money in a froth".
In the face of increasing numbers of cars stolen in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.carjacking. The task force recommended boot camp programs for first-time offenders and would impose as much as 10 years in jail for those convicted of eluding police or
joyriding
Joyriding refers to driving or riding in a stolen vehicle, most commonly a car, with no particular goal other than the pleasure or thrill of doing so or to impress other people. The term "Joy Riding" was coined by a New York judge in 1908.
Joy ...
and would make parents liable for damages resulting from car thefts if parents "do not reasonably supervise and control the children". Lustbader stated that "kids who are old enough to steal cars are old enough to face severe consequences".
Under legislation co-sponsored in the Assembly by Lustbader in 1995, falsehoods in political advertisements made with "reckless disregard to validity" would be an offense that would expose violators to up to six months in jail and fines as high as $1,000. Lustbader argued that "vicious and deliberately false statements made during a campaign" are not protected forms of free speech guaranteed by the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
.
Legislation proposed by Lustbader in 1995 targeted "welfare shopping", a practice in which families from outside New Jersey move to the state to take advantage of its more liberal welfare grants. Under the bill proposed by Lustbader, those who move to New Jersey would be subject to a reduction of 25% in the standard welfare allowance until they had resided in the state for nine months, despite three prior rulings by the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
that waiting periods or benefit reductions for new state residents violated Constitutional guarantees of
freedom of movement
Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country,Jérémiee Gilbert, ''Nomadic Peoples and Human Rights' ...
. The bill had been approved in the Assembly and failed by one vote in its first attempt at passage in the
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. There are 40 legislative districts, representing districts with an average population of 232, ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', December 9, 1995. Accessed July 18, 2010.
Lustbader died at age 65 on March 16, 1996, at
Saint Barnabas Medical Center
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), formerly Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), is a 597-bed non-profit teaching hospital, major teaching hospital located in Livingston, New Jersey. An affiliate of RWJBarnabas Health (formerly known as Ba ...
in Livingston, New Jersey due to kidney cancer. He had kept his condition from his colleagues in the Assembly and continued to work long hours until shortly before his death. In a November 1996 special election,
Joel Weingarten
Joel M. Weingarten is an American Republican Party (United States), Republican Party politician who served three terms in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the New Jersey's 21st legislative district, 21st Legislative District ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...