Zulima Farber
Encyclopedia
Zulima Farber is the former Attorney General of New Jersey and the first Latina (Cuba
n) to serve as Acting Governor of New Jersey. She was appointed to the position in 2006 by Governor
Jon Corzine
. Farber resigned as Attorney General on August 31, 2006, at which time First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram
took the helm on an interim basis and served until Stuart Rabner
took office on September 26, 2006.
with her siblings at age 16 following the takeover by Fidel Castro
. Living at first with an aunt until her parents emigrated, she graduated from Memorial High School
in West New York
, and worked her way through Montclair State College
and Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
Attorney General Farber earlier in her career served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Bergen County
and as an Assistant Counsel to then Gov. Brendan Byrne
. From 1992 to 1994, she served as state Public Advocate in the Cabinet of former Gov. James Florio
. She served as New Jersey Public Advocate from 1992 to 1994, and was the last public advocate to serve in the position before former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
abolished the office in 1994. The office was restored in 2005 under legislation signed by former Gov. Richard Codey
and Governor Corzine's appointment of Ronald Chen
to the position. When Governor Corzine nominated her to become Attorney General, she was a senior partner at the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler PC, one of New Jersey's largest firms.
In December 1996, Farber was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket.
Attorney General Farber was reportedly under consideration for a seat on the New Jersey Supreme Court
by former Gov. James McGreevey in 2003. McGreevey announced that he would not appoint her to the bench because of unpaid traffic and parking tickets which had led to an arrest warrant being issued for her. The driving record issue would later be raised against General Farber during her confirmation hearing in the New Jersey Senate
.
, a Republican from Bergen County
, directed some of the most pointed queries at Farber. "Can you tell me how many times you've gotten speeding tickets or is it an isolated incident?" Cardinale asked. Farber apologized for her driving history but offered no specifics. "I know very well I have had some personal difficulties with driving,"..."And I thank the governor for giving me a job with a driver." Cardinale asked Farber about the bench warrants; state records show warrants were issued against her in 1996 and 2003.
Cardinale, one of two Republicans to oppose Farber's nomination, said that he was concerned about the state appointing someone who had been repeatedly accused of breaking traffic laws as its top law enforcement official. "Your record taken in its totality does not support the notion that you have respect for the law," he said. Later, he said that approving Farber's nomination might send a message "to young people, to the whole population of the state of New Jersey, that it's O.K. to offend the law repeatedly time after time. To have bench warrants issued for your arrest is not an impediment. I cannot bring myself to vote for you."
Farber, said she opposed the use of deadly force to protect property and the use of mandatory minimum sentences, which she said takes away discretion from judges. She also promised to vigorously pursue allegations of public corruption. Along with Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy
, she has promised to root out wasted spending, and corruption that leaves schools with less money.
. This occurred when the Governor, Senate
President and Assembly
Speaker all left the state for a dinner in Washington, D.C.
Under the New Jersey State Constitution
, Farber exercised the powers of the Governor until Governor Corzine or one of the legislative leaders returned to the state.
, in Bergen County
, for driving an unregistered vehicle. The police issued at least one ticket to Goore and were going to impound the vehicle. As this was happening, Goore called Farber, who had her New Jersey State Police
driver drive from Newark
to Fairview. At the scene, Farber met with Fairview's mayor, Vincent Belluci. Farber claims that she was there just to help Goore remove items from his car before it was impounded. However, the tickets that the Fairview police issued to Goore were withdrawn and his car was not impounded. As a result of this incident, a retired state appellate judge from Atlantic County
, Richard J. Williams, headed a special investigation at the request of the New Jersey Governor's Office to look into whether Farber abused her position as Attorney General or broke any laws.
Williams' report, released on August 15, 2006, concluded that Farber violated the state's code of ethics but did not commit a crime when she showed up at the scene of her boyfriend's traffic stop in May 2006. The report found Farber innocent of the more significant ethical violations she was accused of. She was found not to have requested special favors from any officer or ticket fixing
, nor any "fixing" or inappropriate favors from the Motor Vehicles Commission in regard to the restoration of her boyfriend's driving privileges.
John Adler
, called for her resignation, and Governor
Jon Corzine
allegedly requested that she resign during a private meeting.
Motor vehicle records show that Farber, 61, has had at least 12 speeding tickets, four bench warrants issued for her arrest and three license suspensions.
First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram
took over as Acting Attorney General on September 1, 2006, after Farber left office.
Farber has since joined Issues Management, a Princeton
-based lobbying firm affiliated with the law firm Lowenstein Sandler
.
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n) to serve as Acting Governor of New Jersey. She was appointed to the position in 2006 by Governor
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
. Farber resigned as Attorney General on August 31, 2006, at which time First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram
Anne Milgram
Anne Milgram was the Attorney General of New Jersey from June 2007 to January 2010.Milgram had served as First Assistant Attorney General, the second-highest position in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, having taken office on February 14, 2006...
took the helm on an interim basis and served until Stuart Rabner
Stuart Rabner
Stuart Jeff Rabner is the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. He has previously served as New Jersey Attorney General, Chief Counsel to Governor Jon Corzine, and as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey.-Biography:Rabner grew up in Passaic,...
took office on September 26, 2006.
Biography
Zulima Farber fled CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
with her siblings at age 16 following the takeover by Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
. Living at first with an aunt until her parents emigrated, she graduated from Memorial High School
Memorial High School (West New York, New Jersey)
Memorial High School is a four-year public high school that serves students from West New York, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the West New York School District. WNYSD, an Abbott District, serves all of the city of West New York...
in West New York
West New York, New Jersey
West New York is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, situated upon the New Jersey Palisades. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 49,708.-Geography:...
, and worked her way through Montclair State College
Montclair State University
Montclair State University is a public research university located in the Upper Montclair section of Montclair, the Great Notch area of Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. As of October 2009, there were 18,171 total enrolled students: 14,139 undergraduate students and 4,032 graduate students...
and Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
Attorney General Farber earlier in her career served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
and as an Assistant Counsel to then Gov. Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey, from 1974 to 1982.-Early life and education:...
. From 1992 to 1994, she served as state Public Advocate in the Cabinet of former Gov. James Florio
James Florio
James Joseph "Jim" Florio is a Democratic politician who served as the 49th Governor of New Jersey from 1990 to 1994, the first Italian American to hold the position...
. She served as New Jersey Public Advocate from 1992 to 1994, and was the last public advocate to serve in the position before former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd Whitman
Christine Todd "Christie" Whitman is an American Republican politician and author who served as the 50th Governor of New Jersey from 1994 to 2001, and was the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency in the administration of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2003. She was New...
abolished the office in 1994. The office was restored in 2005 under legislation signed by former Gov. Richard Codey
Richard Codey
Richard James Codey is an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 53rd Governor of New Jersey from November 2004 to January 2006. He has served in the New Jersey Senate since 1981 and served as the President of the Senate from 2002 to January 2010. He represents the 27th Legislative...
and Governor Corzine's appointment of Ronald Chen
Ronald Chen
Ronald Chen was, until January 2010, the New Jersey Public Advocate. He was nominated to fill the position on January 5, 2006, by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine. He was the first Public Advocate to serve in the post since 1994, when the job was abolished by former Governor Christine Todd Whitman...
to the position. When Governor Corzine nominated her to become Attorney General, she was a senior partner at the law firm of Lowenstein Sandler PC, one of New Jersey's largest firms.
In December 1996, Farber was a member of the New Jersey State Electoral College, one of 15 electors casting their votes for the Clinton/Gore ticket.
Attorney General Farber was reportedly under consideration for a seat on the New Jersey Supreme Court
New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It has existed in three different forms under the three different state constitutions since the independence of the state in 1776...
by former Gov. James McGreevey in 2003. McGreevey announced that he would not appoint her to the bench because of unpaid traffic and parking tickets which had led to an arrest warrant being issued for her. The driving record issue would later be raised against General Farber during her confirmation hearing in the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
.
Nomination as Attorney General
During her nomination proceedings, Senator Gerald CardinaleGerald Cardinale
Gerald Cardinale is an American Republican Party politician, who has served in the New Jersey State Senate since 1982, where he represents the 39th Legislative District...
, a Republican from Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, directed some of the most pointed queries at Farber. "Can you tell me how many times you've gotten speeding tickets or is it an isolated incident?" Cardinale asked. Farber apologized for her driving history but offered no specifics. "I know very well I have had some personal difficulties with driving,"..."And I thank the governor for giving me a job with a driver." Cardinale asked Farber about the bench warrants; state records show warrants were issued against her in 1996 and 2003.
Cardinale, one of two Republicans to oppose Farber's nomination, said that he was concerned about the state appointing someone who had been repeatedly accused of breaking traffic laws as its top law enforcement official. "Your record taken in its totality does not support the notion that you have respect for the law," he said. Later, he said that approving Farber's nomination might send a message "to young people, to the whole population of the state of New Jersey, that it's O.K. to offend the law repeatedly time after time. To have bench warrants issued for your arrest is not an impediment. I cannot bring myself to vote for you."
Farber, said she opposed the use of deadly force to protect property and the use of mandatory minimum sentences, which she said takes away discretion from judges. She also promised to vigorously pursue allegations of public corruption. Along with Commissioner of Education Lucille Davy
Lucille Davy
Lucille Davy was the Commissioner of Education in New Jersey. She was named acting commissioner on September 9, 2005, by former Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey. She was named commissioner by Gov. Jon Corzine as of July 11, 2006....
, she has promised to root out wasted spending, and corruption that leaves schools with less money.
Acting Governorship
On February 2, 2006, Farber became the first Latina to serve as Acting Governor of New JerseyGovernor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
. This occurred when the Governor, Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
President and Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
Speaker all left the state for a dinner in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Under the New Jersey State Constitution
New Jersey State Constitution
The Constitution of the State of New Jersey is the basic governing document of the State of New Jersey. In addition to three British Royal Charters issued for East Jersey, West Jersey and united New Jersey while they were still colonies, the state has been governed by three constitutions...
, Farber exercised the powers of the Governor until Governor Corzine or one of the legislative leaders returned to the state.
Fairview traffic stop incident
On May 26, 2006, Farber's boyfriend, Hamlet Goore, was stopped by police in FairviewFairview, Bergen County, New Jersey
Fairview is a borough located in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough had a total population of 13,835....
, in Bergen County
Bergen County, New Jersey
Bergen County is the most populous county of the state of New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, its population was 905,116. The county is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Hackensack...
, for driving an unregistered vehicle. The police issued at least one ticket to Goore and were going to impound the vehicle. As this was happening, Goore called Farber, who had her New Jersey State Police
New Jersey State Police
The New Jersey State Police is the state police force for the state of New Jersey. It is a general-powers police agency with state wide jurisdiction when requested by the Governor, designated by Troop Sectors.-History:...
driver drive from Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
to Fairview. At the scene, Farber met with Fairview's mayor, Vincent Belluci. Farber claims that she was there just to help Goore remove items from his car before it was impounded. However, the tickets that the Fairview police issued to Goore were withdrawn and his car was not impounded. As a result of this incident, a retired state appellate judge from Atlantic County
Atlantic County, New Jersey
-National protected areas:* Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge * Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
, Richard J. Williams, headed a special investigation at the request of the New Jersey Governor's Office to look into whether Farber abused her position as Attorney General or broke any laws.
Williams' report, released on August 15, 2006, concluded that Farber violated the state's code of ethics but did not commit a crime when she showed up at the scene of her boyfriend's traffic stop in May 2006. The report found Farber innocent of the more significant ethical violations she was accused of. She was found not to have requested special favors from any officer or ticket fixing
Ticket fixing
Ticket fixing is a practice in which a public official destroys or dismisses a pending traffic ticket as a favor to a friend or family member. For example, police officers in a number of jurisdictions have been charged with destroying pending tickets at the request of other officers. Judges have...
, nor any "fixing" or inappropriate favors from the Motor Vehicles Commission in regard to the restoration of her boyfriend's driving privileges.
Resignation
On August 15, 2006, as a result of the conclusions drawn by Williams during his investigation, Farber announced her resignation from the office of Attorney General, effective August 31, saying that she was stepping down on her own initiative "out of respect for the Governor," and not because she had been asked to resign. This came about after the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, State SenatorNew Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
John Adler
John Adler
John Herbert Adler was a U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was formerly a member of the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 2009, where he represented the 6th Legislative District. The district stretches from the suburbs of Philadelphia...
, called for her resignation, and Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
allegedly requested that she resign during a private meeting.
Motor vehicle records show that Farber, 61, has had at least 12 speeding tickets, four bench warrants issued for her arrest and three license suspensions.
First Assistant Attorney General Anne Milgram
Anne Milgram
Anne Milgram was the Attorney General of New Jersey from June 2007 to January 2010.Milgram had served as First Assistant Attorney General, the second-highest position in the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety, having taken office on February 14, 2006...
took over as Acting Attorney General on September 1, 2006, after Farber left office.
Farber has since joined Issues Management, a Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
-based lobbying firm affiliated with the law firm Lowenstein Sandler
Lowenstein Sandler
Lowenstein Sandler is an AmLaw 200 corporate law firm with offices in New York, Palo Alto and Roseland, NJ. In 2007, the firm was ranked 157th largest in the United States in terms of attorney headcount by the National Law Journal, and 84th in profit per attorney by the AmLaw 200 survey. Many...
.
External links
- Official bio - Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
copy as of December 30, 2006 - Zulima V. Farber, New Jersey Attorney GeneralNew Jersey Attorney GeneralThe Attorney General of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state. The office is appointed by the Governor of New Jersey and term limited...
capsule bio - Calls in Trenton for Ouster of Attorney General
- Corzine tells Farber to resign
- N.J. attorney general resigns after prosecutor cites ethics