When Deborah Poritz became chief justice seven and a half years ago, Supreme Court watchers assumed she would move the tribunal away from its activism under her predecessor, Robert Wilentz. They were right. There has been no social engineering by the Poritz Court. But Poritz’s opinions suggest she approaches her job in many ways like Wilentz did.
Framing the Law So It Makes Sense to Judges
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Unlike most justices, Virginia Long was well-steeped as a jurist by the time she ascended to the state’s highest court. With five years on the trial bench and 15 in the Appellate Division, she saw how lofty statements of law and policy tended to play out in actual courtroom practice. So it is not surprising that many of her Supreme Court opinions, particularly in tort and family cases, are tailored to give judges not only the black-letter law but also instructions on how to apply it.
Politics Aside, His Short Tenure Left Its Mark
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