The New Jersey Senate was established as the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

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 232,225 (2020 figure). Each district has one senator and two members of the

New Jersey General Assembly The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Since the election of 1967 (1968 Session), the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts f ...

, the lower house of the legislature. Prior to the election in which they are chosen, senators must be a minimum of 30 years old and a resident of the state for four years to be eligible to serve in office. From 1844 until 1965 (when the ''

Reynolds v. Sims ''Reynolds v. Sims'', 377 U.S. 533 (1964), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that the electoral districts of state legislative chambers must be roughly equal in population. Along with '' Baker v. Carr'' (19 ...

'' US Supreme Court decision mandated all state legislators be elected from districts of roughly equal population), each county was an electoral district electing one senator. Under the 1844 Constitution, the

term of office A term of office, electoral term, or parliamentary term is the length of time a person serves in a particular elected office. In many jurisdictions there is a defined limit on how long terms of office may be before the officeholder must be subject ...

was three years, which was changed to four years with the 1947 Constitution. Since 1968 the Senate has consisted of 40 senators, who are elected in a "2-4-4" cycle. Senators serve a two-year term at the beginning of each decade, with the rest of the decade divided into two four-year terms. The "2-4-4" cycle was put into place so that Senate elections can reflect the changes made to the district boundaries on the basis of the decennial United States Census.Our Legislature
New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 10, 2018. "Legislative elections are held in November of each odd-numbered year. Members of the Assembly serve two-year terms. Senators serve four-year terms, except for the first term of a new decade, which is only two years. This '2-4-4' cycle allows for elections from new districts as soon as possible after each reapportionment." If the cycle were not put into place, then the boundaries would sometimes be four years out of date before being used for Senate elections. Rather, with the varied term, the boundaries are only two years out of date. Thus elections for Senate seats take place in years ending with a "1", "3", or "7" (i.e. next elections in 2023, 2027, and 2031). Interim appointments are made to fill vacant legislative seats by the county committee or committees of the party of the vacating person (since a constitutional amendment passed on November 8, 1988). The office is on the ballot for the next general election, even if the other Senate seats are not up for election in that year (such as in years ending with a "5" or "9", such as 2009 or 2015). The sole exception to this is if the vacancy occurred within 51 days of the election, in which case the appointment stands until the following general election.

Senatorial courtesy

Senatorial courtesy is a senate tradition that allows home county legislators to intercede to prevent consideration of a local resident nominated by the Governor for a position that requires Senate confirmation. Any of the senators from the nominee's home county can invoke senatorial courtesy to block a nomination, temporarily or permanently, without any obligation to justify the basis of their actions. Governor Corzine nominated

Stuart Rabner Stuart Jeff Rabner (born June 30, 1960) is the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He served as New Jersey Attorney General, Chief Counsel to Governor Jon Corzine, and as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Dist ...

on June 4, 2007, to be the next Chief Justice of the

New Jersey Supreme Court The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging th ...

, replacing James R. Zazzali, who was nearing mandatory retirement age. Shortly after the nomination, two members of the Senate from Essex County, where Rabner resides, blocked consideration of his confirmation by invoking senatorial courtesy. State Senator

Ronald Rice Ronald L. Rice (born December 18, 1945) is a former American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1986 to 2022. He represented the 28th Legislative District. Rice is one of the longest-serving state s ...

had initially blocked the nomination, but relented on June 15, 2007, after a meeting with the governor. Nia Gill dropped her block on June 19, 2007, but did not explain the nature of her concerns, though anonymous lawmakers cited in ''

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 d ...

'' indicated that the objection was due to Rabner's race and Governor Corzine's failure to consider a minority candidate for the post.Jones, Richard G
"Senator Drops Objections to Corzine Court Nominee"
''

'', June 20, 2007. Accessed June 20, 2007. "Senator Gill had delayed Mr. Rabner's confirmation hearing by using "senatorial courtesy" — an obscure practice through which senators who represent the home county of nominees may block consideration of their confirmations." Also in June 2007,

Loretta Weinberg Loretta Weinberg (born February 6, 1935) is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from 2005-2022, where she represented the 37th Legislative District. She also served as Senate Majority Leader. ...

used senatorial courtesy privileges to hold up consideration of a new term in office for Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli.Carmiel, Oshrat
"Deadline looms for Molinelli's job"
''

The Record (Bergen County) ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...

'', June 20, 2007. Accessed June 20, 2007. "Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli, whose term expired last month, may have to wait until the fall to be considered again for a second term if state Sen. Loretta Weinberg doesn't sign off on his nomination today.... Weinberg is invoking an unwritten practice called senatorial courtesy, which allows state senators to block consideration of gubernatorial nominees from their home counties without explanation. The courtesy tradition, as applied to Molinelli, requires each senator from Bergen County to sign off on his nomination before the Judiciary Committee can consider the nomination."

Acting governor

Until 2010, in the event of a gubernatorial vacancy, the New Jersey Constitution had specified that the President of the Senate (followed by the Speaker of the

) would assume the role of Acting Governor and retain their role in the Senate (or Assembly). An Acting Governor would then assume the governorship while retaining the reins of power in their house of the legislature. The

Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey The lieutenant governor of New Jersey is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the state government of New Jersey in the United States. The lieutenant governor is the second highest-ranking official in the state governm ...

took office for the first time on January 19, 2010, following a conjoint election with the

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 r ...

. 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. While the amendment itself took effect as of January 17, 2006, and made some interim changes to the succession to the governorship, the first lieutenant governor was not elected until November 3, 2009.

Composition

List of state senators

Committees and committee chairs

Committee chairs for the 2018–2019 Legislative Session are: * Budget and Appropriations -

Paul Sarlo Paul Anthony Sarlo (born August 31, 1968) is an American construction industry executive and Democratic Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 2003, where he represents the 36th Legislative District. Sarlo is a ...

(D-Wood-Ridge) * Commerce - Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) * Community and Urban Affairs -

Troy Singleton Troy E. Singleton (born June 30, 1973) is an American Democratic Party politician who has represented the 7th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since January 9, 2018. He served in the New Jersey General Assembly from November 21, 2 ...

(D-Palmyra) * Economic Growth -

Nilsa Cruz-Perez Nilsa Cruz-Perez (born January 21, 1961) is an American Democratic Party politician who was sworn into office to represent the 5th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate on December 15, 2014, to fill the vacant seat of Donald Norcross. ...

(D-Barrington) * Education - Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) * Environment and Energy - Bob Smith (D-Piscataway) * Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens - Joe F. Vitale (D-Woodbridge Township) * Higher Education -

Sandra Bolden Cunningham Sandra Bolden Cunningham (born September 4, 1950) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has been serving in the New Jersey State Senate since 2007, where she represents the 31st Legislative District. She was sworn into office on Nov ...

(D-Jersey City) * Judiciary - Brian P. Stack (D-Union City) * Labor -

Fred H. Madden Fred H. Madden Jr. (born March 30, 1954) is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 4th Legislative District in the New Jersey Senate since taking office on January 13, 2004. Early life and education Madden is a 19 ...

(D-Washington Township, Gloucester County) * Law and Public Safety - Linda R. Greenstein (D-Plainsboro Township) * Legislative Oversight - Richard J. Codey (D-Roseland) * Military and Veterans' Affairs -

Joseph Cryan Joseph P. Cryan (born September 1, 1961 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician who has served in the New Jersey Senate since 2018, representing the 20th Legislative District. He previously served in the New ...

(D-Union Township) * Rules and Order - TBD * Select Committee on School Funding Fairness - TBD * State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation - James Beach (D-Voorhees Township) * Transportation - Patrick J. Diegnan (D-South Plainfield)

List of Senate presidents

The following is a list of presidents of the New Jersey Senate since the adoption of the 1844 State Constitution: * 1845–1848: John C. Smallwood, Gloucester * 1849–1850: Ephraim March, Morris * 1851: Silas D. Canfield, Passaic * 1852: John Manners, Hunterdon * 1853–1856: William C. Alexander, Mercer * 1857–1858: Henry V. Speer, Middlesex * 1859: Thomas H. Herring, Bergen * 1860: Charles L. C. Gifford, Essex * 1861:

Edmund Perry Edmund Perry, a Harlem resident, was shot to death by Lee Van Houten, a 24-year-old plainclothes policeman, on June 12, 1985 when he was 17 years old. The case briefly generated a firestorm of protest in New York City when it was revealed that Per ...

, Hunterdon * 1862: Joseph T. Crowell, Union * 1863: Anthony Reckless, Monmouth * 1864: Amos Robbins, Middlesex * 1865: Edward W. Scudder, Mercer * 1866: James M. Scovel, Camden * 1867: Benjamin Buckley, Passaic * 1868–1869: Henry S. Little, Monmouth * 1870: Amos Robbins * 1871–1872: Edward Bettle, Camden * 1873–1875: John W. Taylor, Essex * 1876:

William J. Sewell William Joyce Sewell (December 6, 1835 – December 27, 1901) was an Irish-American Republican Party (US), Republican Party politician, merchant, and military officer who served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey for two non-consecutive term ...

, Camden * 1877:

Leon Abbett Leon Abbett (October 8, 1836December 4, 1894) was an American Democratic Party politician and lawyer who served two nonconsecutive terms as the 26th Governor of New Jersey from 1884 to 1887 and 1890 to 1893. His official state biography refers t ...

, Hudson * 1878: George C. Ludlow, Middlesex * 1879–1880:

* 1881–1882:

Garret Hobart Garret Augustus Hobart (June 3, 1844 – November 21, 1899) was the 24th Vice President of the United States, serving from 1897 until his death in 1899. He was the sixth American vice president to die in office. Prior to serving as vice pre ...

, Passaic * 1883: John J. Gardner, Atlantic * 1884: Benjamin A. Vail, Union * 1885: Abraham V. Schenck, Middlesex * 1886:

John W. Griggs John William Griggs (July 10, 1849 – November 28, 1927) was an American lawyer and Republican Party politician, who served as the 29th governor of New Jersey, from 1896 to 1898. As Governor of New Jersey Griggs gained a reputation for siding wi ...

, Passaic * 1887: Frederick S. Fish, Essex * 1888: George H. Large, Hunterdon * 1889: George T. Werts, Morris * 1890: Henry M. Nevius, Monmouth * 1891–1893:

Robert Adrain Robert Adrain (30 September 1775 – 10 August 1843) was an Irish political exile who won renown as a mathematician in the United States. He left Ireland after leading republican insurgents in the Rebellion of 1798, and settled in New Jersey an ...

, Middlesex * 1894: Maurice A. Rogers, Camden * 1895: Edward C. Stokes, Cumberland * 1896: Lewis A. Thompson, Somerset (resigned March 30) * 1896–1897: Robert Williams, Passaic * 1898: Foster M. Voorhees, Union (became Acting Governor February 1) * 1898: William H. Skirm (pro tem), Mercer * 1899: Charles A. Reed, Somerset * 1900: William M. Johnson, Bergen * 1901:

Mahlon Pitney Mahlon R. Pitney IV (February 5, 1858 – December 9, 1924) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms from 1895 to 1899. He later served as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Suprem ...

, Morris * 1902: Charles Asa Francis, Monmouth * 1903: Elijah C. Hutchinson, Mercer * 1904:

Edmund W. Wakelee Edmund Waring Wakelee (November 21, 1869 – April 26, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, and utility executive from New Jersey. Life Wakelee was born on November 21, 1869, in Kingston, New York, the son of Nicholas Wakelee and Eliza Chr ...

, Bergen * 1905:

Joseph Cross Joseph or Joe Cross may refer to: People * Joseph Cross (actor) (born 1986), American actor * Joseph Cross (cartographer) (1821–1865), English cartographer * Joseph Cross (cricketer) (1849–1918), English cricketer * Joseph Cross (judge) (1843� ...

, Union (resigned March 30) * 1905–1906: William J. Bradley, Camden * 1907: Bloomfield H. Minch, Cumberland * 1908: Thomas J. Hillery, Morris * 1909: Samuel K. Robbins, Burlington (resigned April 16) * 1909–1910: Joseph S. Frelinghuysen, Somerset * 1911: Ernest R. Ackerman, Union * 1912:

John Dyneley Prince John Dyneley Prince (April 17, 1868 – October 11, 1945) was an American linguist, diplomat, and politician. He was a professor at New York University and Columbia University, minister to Denmark and Yugoslavia, and leader of both houses of the ...

, Passaic * 1913: James F. Fielder, Hudson (became Acting Governor March 1) * 1913: James A. C. Johnson (pro tem), Bergen * 1914: John W. Slocum, Monmouth * 1915: Walter E. Edge, Atlantic * 1916: William T. Read, Camden (resigned March 29) * 1916–1917: George W. F. Gaunt, Gloucester * 1918: Thomas F. McCran, Passaic * 1919: William N. Runyon, Union * 1920: Clarence E. Case, Somerset * 1921: Collins B. Allen, Salem * 1922: William B. Mackay Jr., Bergen * 1923: Joseph F. Wallworth, Camden * 1924: Firman M. Reeves, Cumberland * 1925: William H. Bright, Cape May * 1926:

Morgan F. Larson Morgan Foster Larson (June 15, 1882March 21, 1961) was an American Republican politician who served as the 40th governor of New Jersey. Early life Morgan Foster Larson was born on June 15, 1882 in Perth Amboy, New Jersey to Peter and Regina (K ...

, Middlesex * 1927: Francis B. Davis, Gloucester * 1928: William A. Stevens, Monmouth * 1929: Thomas A. Mathis, Ocean * 1930: Arthur N. Pierson, Union * 1931: Joseph G. Wolber, Essex * 1932: A. Crozer Reeves, Mercer * 1933: Emerson Lewis Richards, Atlantic * 1934: Clifford R. Powell, Burlington * 1935: Horace G. Prall, Hunterdon * 1936: John C. Barbour, Passaic (resigned June 26) * 1936–1937: Frank Durand, Monmouth * 1938: Charles E. Loizeaux, Union * 1939: Robert C. Hendrickson, Gloucester * 1940: Arthur F. Foran, Hunterdon * 1941–1942: I. Grant Scott, Cape May * 1943:

George H. Stanger George H. Stanger (September 25, 1902 – March 2, 1958) was an American Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1938 to 1946. A resident of Vineland, New Jersey, Stanger was born in Glassboro, New Jersey. He attende ...

, Cumberland * 1944:

Howard Eastwood Howard Eastwood (November 24, 1884 – January 12, 1976) was a justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court from 1946 to 1948. He was a member of the New Jersey Senate from Burlington County (1940–1944) serving as president in 1944 before resigning. ...

, Burlington (resigned August 31) * 1944:

* 1945: Frank S. Farley, Atlantic * 1946: Haydn Proctor, Monmouth * 1947: Charles K. Barton, Passaic * 1948: John M. Summerill Jr., Salem * 1949: David Van Alstyne, Bergen * 1950: Samuel L. Bodine, Hunterdon * 1951: Alfred B. Littell, Sussex * 1952: Harold W. Hannold, Gloucester * 1953: David Young III, Morris * 1954: W. Steelman Mathis, Ocean * 1955: Bruce A. Wallace, Camden * 1956: Wayne Dumont Jr., Warren * 1957: Albert McCay, Burlington * 1958:

Richard R. Stout Richard R. Stout (September 21, 1912 – October 16, 1986) was an American politician who served in the New Jersey Senate from 1952 to 1974. Born in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, New Jersey, Stout attended Neptune High School, ...

, Monmouth * 1959: Wesley L. Lance, Hunterdon * 1960: George B. Harper, Sussex * 1961: Thomas J. Hillery, Morris * 1962: Robert C. Crane, Union (resigned January 9) * 1962: Frank S. Farley * 1963:

William E. Ozzard William E. Ozzard (June 15, 1915 — June 29, 2002) was an American Republican Party politician who served for 13 years in the New Jersey Legislature, serving as New Jersey Senate President in 1963. He was President of the New Jersey Board ...

, Somerset * 1964–1965: Charles W. Sandman, Cape May * 1966:

John A. Lynch Sr. John A. Lynch Sr. (March 10, 1908 – March 3, 1978) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served in the New Jersey Senate for 22 years, where he represented the New Jersey's 17th legislative distric ...

, 7th District * 1967: Sido L. Ridolfi, 6th District * 1968: Edwin B. Forsythe, 4B District * 1969: Frank X. McDermott, 9th District * 1970–1972:

Raymond Bateman Raymond H. "Ray" Bateman (October 29, 1927 – June 25, 2016) was an American politician who represented Somerset County in the New Jersey Senate in the 1960s and 1970s and was the Republican candidate for Governor of New Jersey in 1977. He was t ...

, 8th District * 1973: Alfred N. Beadleston, 5th District * 1974–1975: Frank J. Dodd, 26th District * 1976–1977:

Matthew Feldman Matthew Feldman (March 22, 1919 – April 11, 1994) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as a New Jersey Senate, New Jersey State Senator and Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey. As Mayor of Tea ...

, 37th District * 1978–1981: Joseph P. Merlino, 13th District * 1982–1986: Carmen A. Orechio, 30th District * 1986–1990: John F. Russo, 10th District * 1990–1991: John A. Lynch Jr., 17th District * 1992–2002: Donald DiFrancesco, 22nd District * 2002–2004: John O. Bennett, 12th District and Richard Codey, 27th District (co-presidents, with the Senate split 20-20) * 2004–2008: Richard Codey, 27th District (resigned January 7, 2008)Heininger, Claire
"Richard Codey ends run as N.J. Senate president"
''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'', January 12, 2010, updated April 1, 2019. Accessed January 16, 2022. "So it went Monday, Codey's last at the center of New Jersey politics. Starting today, the Essex County Democrat and former governor will become just another face in the crowd when South Jersey Sen. Stephen Sweeney succeeds him as Senate President following a nasty internal fight.... He led the Democrats’ Senate caucus for 12 years and became Senate president in 2004." * 2008:

Bernard Kenny Bernard F. Kenny Jr. (born November 17, 1946, in Jersey City, New Jersey) is an American Democratic Party politician, who represented the 33rd Legislative District in the New Jersey State Senate from 1993 to 2008, after serving in the New Jers ...

, 33rd District (served January 7 to January 8, after Codey resigned to honor Kenny) * 2008–2010: Richard Codey, 27th District * 2010–2022:

Stephen Sweeney Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician and labor leader who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022, representing the 3rd legislative district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 114th President o ...

, 3rd District; he was the longest-serving Senate President. * 2022–present Nicholas Scutari, 22nd DistrictRacioppi, Dustin
"Nick Scutari, a 'poor kid from Linden,' selected to become NJ's next Senate president"
'' The Record'', November 12, 2021. Accessed January 16, 2022. "Fellow Democrats on Friday chose Nicholas Scutari to succeed Stephen Sweeney as New Jersey's next Senate president, the second-most powerful position in state government."

Past composition

References

External links

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a national database of voting records and other information about legislators.br>Senate Democratic OfficeSenate Republican Office
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