December 17, 2007

Corzine Signs Death Penalty Ban

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) this morning signed a bill abolishing the death penalty in the Garden State, making it the first state to ban capital punishment in four decades.

As he signed the bill, which was approved by the state legislature late last week, Corzine declared that "New Jersey is truly evolving." "I believe society first must determine if its endorsement of violence begets violence," he added. "To that, I answer yes. Therefore we must evolve to stop endorsing violence."

In addition to Corzine's moral argument for ending the death penalty, the bill appears to be a largely practical move, as the state has not carried out any executions since 1963. Lawmakers said the eight New Jersey prisoners currently sitting on death row would serve life sentences without the possibility of parole.

The Colisseum in Rome will be lit this evening to commemorate the new law, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. AP has more on this story, and The Gate has more on changing attitudes toward capital punishment in the U.S.

Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to: Crime, Governors, Jon Corzine
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November 20, 2007

Corzine Rains On Jersey's Black Friday Parade

One of the few benefits of living in New Jersey (and this native Garden Stater should know) is the plethora of shopping malls. From just about anywhere in the state, the nearest Nordstrom, Macy's or Wal-Mart is just a stone's throw (or jughandle) away. So it's little wonder that one of the most hallowed days for Jerseyites is Black Friday, the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

But for state workers this year, Gov. Jon Corzine has already ruined the fun.

"Jersey Scrooge" ended the long-standing tradition of giving state government workers Black Friday off as a paid holiday this year. The former Goldman Sachs chairman says he merely wants to keep the state running efficiently to serve taxpayers. His employees, not surprisingly, see it a little differently.

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Posted at 11:29 AM
Posted to: Governors, Jon Corzine
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May 24, 2007

Corzine: Do As I Say, Not As I Do

TV viewers during election season are used to hearing, "I'm [fill in a politician's name], and I approved this message." They're not quite as used to...

"I'm Jon Corzine, and I should be dead."

That tagline is at the beginning of a new public service announcement from the governor of New Jersey, who was seriously injured in an April 12 car crash on the Garden State Parkway. Corzine wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time, which he publicly apologized for when he left the hospital after an 18-day stay to treat his broken sternum, leg, ribs and collarbone.

"It took a remarkable team of doctors and a series of miracles to save my life when all I needed was a seat belt," Corzine says in the ad.

AP has the script and video of the spot.

Posted at 4:32 PM
Posted to: Governors, Jon Corzine
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April 30, 2007

Corzine Apologizes For Setting 'Poor Example'

Sitting in the wheelchair he'll have to rely on for weeks, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) apologized for setting "a poor example" in his first press conference since the combination of an out-of-control vehicle and no seat belt landed him in the hospital on April 12.

"I understand I'm setting a very poor example for a lot of young people, a lot of people in general," the former U.S. senator said, wearing a bright red sweatshirt bearing Cooper University hospital's logo and choking back tears. "I certainly hope the state will forgive me."

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Posted at 3:26 PM
Posted to: Governors, Jon Corzine
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April 13, 2007

Report: Corzine's Condition Worse Than Acknowledged

Speaking at a press conference outside a Camden hospital, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine (D) said "it does not appear that the governor was wearing a seat belt" at the time of a car crash that landed him in intensive care.

Corzine's doctor said the governor was in "critical but stable" condition. Corzine was riding in the front passenger seat of a state police SUV when the driver, a state trooper, swerved to avoid an out-of-control vehicle and slammed into a guard rail. Police said they were looking for the red truck that kicked off the chain of events and left the scene.

The governor suffered several broken bones, including six ribs, and a broken leg, as well as injuries to his lungs. He was "heavily sedated" and breathing via a respirator.

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Posted at 11:41 AM
Posted to: Governors, Jon Corzine
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