When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie decided in May to nominate state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner for tenure, it was a decision he was forced to make if he had any hope of getting at least one more Republican on the court before the end of his last term in office.

According to lawmakers familiar with the nomination process, Christie held out as long as he could until it became clear to him that Senate Democrats would reject any nominee for chief justice other than Rabner.