well State leaders have more than just money problems on their hands the current judicial vacancy crisis is putting residents lives and legal issues in limbo with lawmakers and executive branch members each pointing the finger over who's to blame for the slow confirmation process thousands of legal experts are at an annual convention in Atlantic City this week in part to talk about solutions to the growing problem just a day before Senate members will meet to vet three new Superior Court judges Ted Goldberg has the story Houston we do have a problem here there are what 64 vacancies for the last two years that have been 50 or more can anyone say that we have an insufficient number of qualified people to serve uh on the bench New Jersey's judicial vacancies were the Hot Topic at this year's State Bar Association annual meeting and Convention the lack of Judges has gotten so bad that civil and matrimonial trials have stopped in six counties still people defended the state policy of not electing judges our judicial appointment process is the worst form of process except for all the rest so it's not an easy process just about every judge that we have put through Senator oscanlin just recommended a great one last week judge pavanka she's been waiting for about five or six years Senators like Vin gopal and John bramnik say without Senate confirmation it would be easier for radical judges to serve on the bench they simply don't have this ability that's needed to be on a bench I would never sign off on that person so if your reputation is you're a great lawyer but you're just mean to the other side it's never going to happen in my judgment the Senate Judiciary Committee will consider three nominees tomorrow to begin addressing the 60 plus vacancies so what's the hold up why aren't there more judges it takes the governor sometimes to get the three senators in a room and say we got to get it done and so everyone come in with a nominee we'll all agree and we'll do three on Tuesday we have a number of priorities and obviously this is a major priority of ours but it wouldn't be candid or honest to say that this is our only priority so and you have a limited amount of political Capital some people blame the shortage in judges partly on senatorial courtesy it's a state rule where Senators can block any governor-appointed official from their County without explanation people on the panel are split as to whether or not this Unwritten rule does more harm than good it is lurking in the dark where you don't see it where otherwise qualified people don't go forward and if there if a person is unqualified um then someone as articulous is Senator bramnik or Seneca pal can take that issue to the Senate Judiciary Committee New Jersey by Constitution has the strongest if not one of the strongest governorships in the country uh and I think this plays in a very important healthy checks and balance system this is about compromise so you want the minority or you even want certain Senators to have some power in order to have this screening process you have to talk to each other and the governor is the only one who can get people to talk to each other Governor Murphy has nominated more than 20 judges awaiting Senate confirmation even if all of them are confirmed new vacancies will open up as more judges are expected to retire before the end of the year in Atlantic City I'm Ted Goldberg NJ Spotlight news [Music]