The Most Progressive Governor In America?
Many who were once skeptical of the former investment banker now admit that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s policies are compassionate and forward-thinking.
By John Nichols
October 20, 2021
More than two years before George Floyd’s murder by a white police officer in Minneapolis sparked a national outcry for a crackdown on police violence, New Jersey Assemblywoman Britnee Timberlake was fighting to make the investigation of deaths in police custody fair and impartial, unclouded by the often intimate relationship between county prosecutors and law enforcement. At times it seemed like an uphill battle. Timberlake’s proposed bill, A3115, required the state to take charge of police-involved death investigations, moving prosecutions out of the counties where the killings occurred. It faced staunch opposition from the state’s powerful police unions and New Jersey’s attorney general. Because the attorney general was a high-profile appointee of Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, there was speculation that A3115 would be vetoed. But, Timberlake recalls, “Governor Murphy listened to us, even though he was getting pressure from folks who were very opposed. He knew that it was the right thing to do, and he proceeded according to his moral compass.
The day the legislation was signed, Timberlake hailed Murphy “for proving yet again his dedication to being progressive, not just in words but in action.”
https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/phil-murphy-new-jersey/
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