Wilfredo Caraballo (born January 1, 1947, in

Yabucoa, Puerto Rico Yabucoa () is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 barrios and Yabucoa Pueblo (the downtown area a ...

) is an American Democratic Party

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, who served in 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 ...

from 1996 to 2008. He represented the 29th legislative district. Caraballo also served as the assembly's

speaker pro tempore A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase ''pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being". ...

in the 2006–2008 legislative session, he was the parliamentarian from 2002 to 2006 and associate minority leader from 1998 to 2001.

Background

Caraballo received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from St. Joseph's Seminary and College in Philosophy (1969) and was awarded a J.D. from the New York University School of Law (1975).

Early career

Caraballo served on the South Orange, New Jersey Budget Advisory Committee from 1986 to 1987. He then served was a trustee of the

South Orange-Maplewood School District The South Orange-Maplewood School District is a regional public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the suburban communities of South Orange and Maplewood, two municipalities in Essex County, New J ...

Board of Education from 1987 to 1990. Caraballo was a member of New Jersey's

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Commemorative Commission from 1988 to 1990. Caraballo was a distinguished visiting professor at

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...

in 1986. He served as associate dean of

Seton Hall University School of Law Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey, and, according to the ''U.S. News & World Report'' rankin ...

from 1988 through March 1990, where he was instrumental in creating the LEO program to create opportunities for disadvantaged students to attend Seton Hall. In early 1990, Caraballo left Seton Hall when

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 ...

James Florio James Joseph Florio (August 29, 1937 – September 25, 2022) was an American politician who served as the 49th governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994. He was previously the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 1st congressional district from ...

brought him into the executive branch of the government of New Jersey, to serve as the New Jersey Public Advocate and Public Defender. Caraballo served from 1990 to 1992, then resigned in protest of Republican efforts to reduce his powers; when the Republicans took the governorship in 1994, they stopped filling the position. Caraballo then served as president of the Hispanic National Bar Association, from 1993 to 1994.

Elected official

Each of the forty districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in the New Jersey Senate and two members in the

. Caraballo was first elected to the New Jersey General Assembly for the 1996–98 term, as an assemblyman for the 28th Legislative District, containing portions of Essex County, including

South Orange South Orange, officially the Township of South Orange Village, is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the village's population was 16,198, reflecting a decline of 766 (4.5%) fro ...

, Maplewood and a northwest portion of Newark. He was re-elected in the 28th Legislative District, then was re-elected in the 29th Legislative District after the 2001 redistricting. Caraballo served in the Assembly on the Regulated Professions and Independent Authorities Committee (as chair) and on the Joint Legislative Committee on Ethical Standards.Assemblyman Caraballo's Legislative Website
accessed April 21, 2007. In the 2004 presidential election, Caraballo was one of New Jersey's presidential electors, casting the state's 15 Electoral College votes after election day. New Jersey's electors cast their ballots on December 13, 2004, in the State House Annex, in Trenton, where all 15 votes were cast for the Democratic Party candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

. In the June 5, 2007 primary election, Caraballo failed to win nomination to run for the New Jersey General Assembly, 2008–10 term, after an internal battle with the party and political machines.

Later career

Caraballo returned to the

, where he is currently a tenured professor of law. In 2014, Carabello ran as candidate for councilman at-large for the

Municipal Council of Newark The Municipal Council is the legislative branch of government for Newark, New Jersey. Newark was governed by a mayor and common council from 1836 to 1917 and then by a five-member commission until 1954. Effective as of July 1, 1954, the voters of ...

, on the slate of mayoral candidate

Shavar Jeffries Shavar Jeffries is an American civil rights attorney who in January 2023 became the CEO of thKIPP Foundation a nonprofit which trains and develops educators to lead KIPP public schools; provides tools, resources and training for excellent teachi ...

; neither was elected.

References

External links

Assemblyman Caraballo's Legislative Website

Interview of Assemblyman Wilfredo Caraballo

NET Net or net may refer to: Mathematics and physics * Net (mathematics), a filter-like topological generalization of a sequence * Net, a linear system of divisors of dimension 2 * Net (polyhedron), an arrangement of polygons that can be folded up ...

''Caucus New Jersey with Steve Adubato''
New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2006 (PDF)New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2005 (PDF)New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure form for 2004 (PDF)
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Caraballo, Wilfredo 1947 births Living people Puerto Rican people in New Jersey politics Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie) alumni New York University School of Law alumni Seton Hall University School of Law faculty People from Yabucoa, Puerto Rico Public defenders 2004 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians Hispanic and Latino American state legislators in New Jersey