New Jersey’s legislative map will be redrawn without the input of former Senate President Steve Sweeney. A superior court judge on Tuesday rejected Sweeney’s attempt to be placed back on the state commission that draws the map after he was removed last week by the Democratic party leadership. Sweeney’s replacement is longtime political operative Laura Matos.
Meanwhile, at a public redistricting hearing on Tuesday, former state judge Philip Carchman, the likely tiebreaking vote on the commission, announced that two map proposals — one drawn by Democrats and the other by Republicans — will be released for public comment on Feb. 7. At that same hearing, the nonpartisan group Fair Districts New Jersey presented their own proposal, which would boost the number of minority-majority districts in the state.
