Court Says Judge Can Rule on Law She Sponsored as Legislator

The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey said a workers' compensation judge is not automatically disqualified from ruling on disputes involving a law she sponsored when she was a member of the state Assembly. The court said there is no precedent for whether a former legislator who later becomes a comp judge can rule on a matter concerning a statute he or she sponsored in the Legislature. However, the court said it agrees with the basis for federal judges to grant a motion for recusal — the judge harbors an aversion, hostility or disposition of a kind that a fair-mi...