Democratic Sen. Ray Lesniak says he won't support the nomination of an openly gay black Republican to the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Lesniak, a champion of same-sex marriage, says he takes issue with Bruce Harris's comments on the issue.
The 61-year-old nominee, who has a longtime partner and has advocated for gay marriage, has told Gov. Chris Christie he would not participate in court decisions on gay marriage.
The Union County senator says Harris's promise to recuse himself is political.
Lesniak cites a 2009 e-mail in which Harris asserts that gay marriage is a civil right, and therefore a constitutional issue for the courts.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering the nominations of Harris and former federal prosecutor Phillip Kwon on Thursday.
Kwon is being questioned about his involvement in a family liquor store that forfeited cash deposits to the federal government to settle a civil suit.
Politics
Kwon would be the first Asian American on the court if confirmed.
But his nomination appears to be in trouble during Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
The 44-year-old former federal prosecutor has been questioned for two hours so far. Democrats want to know what he knew about the New York liquor store owned by his mother and wife that made cash deposits just under the amount that would trigger a federal reporting requirement.
The family forfeited $160,000 to settle the suit. No criminal charges were ever brought.
Kwon says he was unaware of his mother's banking practices.
