New Jersey Democratic Party

By order dated October 2, 2002, we granted relief permitting the New Jersey Democratic State Committee to select a candidate to replace Senator Robert G. Torricelli on the November 2002 ballot. We issued the Order without opinion because, in our view, "the interests of justice require[d] the immediate issuance of an Order disposition with the Courts opinion to follow in due course." New Jersey Democratic Party v. Samson, ___ N.J. ___, at ___ (slip op. at 5). This opinion sets forth the basis for our disposition.