New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie nominated his former deputy in the state’s U.S. Attorney’s office to be the next chief attorney for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, The Star-Ledger reported today.

Ralph Marra (Getty Images)

Ex-First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra — who became acting U.S. Attorney in December 2008 when Christie resigned to run for governor — would be paid $195,000 for the job. The post does not require state Senate confirmation and only needs approval from the authority board, according to the newspaper.

Under Marra, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was criticized by former Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s campaign last year for dragging its feet on Freedom of Information Act requests about Christie’s tenure. The Justice Department also launched an ethics probe of Marra for remarks he made at a news conference about a major public corruption sweep that Democrats said were intended to boost Christie politically.

“People who have real problems won’t be in the administration,” Christie told The Star-Ledger shortly after he defeated Corzine in the November 2009 election. “People who have problems that are contrived for attempted political advantage won’t be hurt by that.”

Christie has now tapped 10 former colleagues in the U.S. Attorney’s office for state posts.

Marra told the newspaper that he is “really excited” about the nomination to the independent authority, which oversees major state sporting and conventions centers.

“The Sports Authority is facing a lot of challenges and I’m eager to jump in there and help out,” Marra told The Star-Ledger.

A New Jersey Senate committee has unanimously approved an ex-Assistant U.S. Attorney to be Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s attorney general, The Star-Ledger reported last night.

Paula Dow (gov)

The attorney general nominee, Paula Dow, a Democrat, was grilled by panel members for five hours before she was reported out of committee, according to the newspaper. The committee members questioned her on a proposal to curb witness intimidation, low pay for state prosecutors and her opposition to forcing out of office a councilwoman, who was convicted of obstruction of justice, The Star-Ledger said.

Senate floor action on Dow is expected on Feb. 22, according to New Jersey Newsroom.com.

On committee member, Democrat Nia Gill, grilled Dow extensively. Gill had held up Dow’s nomination as Essex County prosecutor for 20 months over Dow’s support for allowing Newark councilwoman Dana Rone to keep her job. Gill said Dow was improperly influenced by politics.

“I was not influenced,” Dow said during an hour-long discussion on the matter, adding that she didn’t even really like Rone, according to the newspaper. Dow had been Essex County’s prosecutor since 2003.

The attorney general nominee, who has been acting attorney general for the past two weeks, also pledged during the hearing to fight illegal gaming and violent crime in New Jersey, the Star-Ledger reported.

“It would be foolish of us to let down our guard,” she said, according to the newspaper. “Shame on us if we just turn our eyes and resources away.”

Dow previously worked for Christie in the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office, serving as counsel to the U.S. Attorney and working in the special prosecutions division and the criminal division. She was in the office from 1994 to 2003. The attorney general nominee also worked in the Southern District of New York U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1987 to 1994 and for Exxon for seven years.

Read more about her here.

Marc Larkins speaks after Gov. Chris Christie announces his nomination. (gov)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has named Marc Larkins to be the executive director of the New Jersey School Development Authority Board, according to a news release.

Larkins is an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey who has held a number of positions in the office since he joined in 2003. He has served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, Acting First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Acting Executive U.S. Attorney and council. In addition, he has been the chief of the government fraud unit.

Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Larkins was a trial attorney in the Justice Department’s Civil Division from 1999 to March 2003. Simultaneously, from February 2000 to March 2002, Larkins was Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia.

Christie, who was U.S. Attorney for New Jersey from 2002-2008, had already named eight of his former colleagues from the U.S. Attorney’s office to serve in his administration. They are:

• Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office.
• Stephen Taylor to be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office.
• Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office.
• Jeffrey S. Chiesa to be Christie’s chief counsel.
• Kevin M. O’Dowd to be deputy chief counsel.
• Charles McKenna to be head of the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
• Michele Brown to be appointments counsel.
• Lee Solomon to be the president of the board of public utilities.

Gov. Chris Christie (gov)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has named Lee Solomon to be the president of the board of public utilities, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports.

Solomon, who currently is a state Superior Court judge in Camden County, was a Deputy U.S. Attorney under Christie, running the prosecutor’s offices in Camden and Trenton. He previously was a Camden County Freeholder, a state assemblyman, 1992 GOP congressional candidate and Camden County prosecutor. Christie was the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2002-2008.

During the news conference at which Christie announced Solomon’s new post, the governor praised Solomon’s judgment and people skills, adding that he had sought proven managers for his cabinet because “a lot of state government has been dysfunctional,” The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Christie has already named seven of his former colleagues from the U.S. Attorney’s office to serve in his administration. They are:

• Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office.
• Stephen Taylor to be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office.
• Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office.
• Jeffrey S. Chiesa to be Christie’s chief counsel.
• Kevin M. O’Dowd to be deputy chief counsel.
• Charles McKenna to be head of the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.
• Michele Brown to be appointments counsel.

Michele Brown (McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter)

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie on Friday said he will name former Assistant U.S. Attorney Michele Brown to be appointments counsel in his administration, The Associated Press reported. Brown, who was one of Christie’s assistants when he ran the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office, resigned from her job as acting First Assistant U.S. Attorney in August amid several campaign-related controversies.

When he was U.S. Attorney, Christie took out a second mortgage on his home to loan Brown $46,000, but failed the report the information on his financial disclosures and tax returns. Brown also came under fire by the campaign of Christie’s opponent, Gov. Jon Corzine (D), for working to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act request that concerned her and Christie’s travel records.

The FOIA records revealed that Christie exceeded his government lodging allowance when traveling as U.S. Attorney, often staying in luxury hotels, and that he approved Brown’s requests to stay in some of the same five-star hotels as he.

In addition, the New York Times reported that Brown assisted the Christie campaign by delaying the U.S. Attorney office’s response to the Corzine campaign’s FOIA requests. As a result, then-interim U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra came under pressure from unnamed Justice Department officials to remove Brown from collecting records for the campaign’s request, the Times reported.

Brown resigned shortly thereafter to take a job at McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter.

Christie has already named six of his former colleagues from his U.S. Attorney’s office to serve in his administration. They are:

• Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office,
• Stephen Taylor to be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office,
• Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office,
• Jeffrey S. Chiesa to be Christie’s chief counsel,
• Kevin M. O’Dowd to be deputy chief counsel and
• Charles McKenna, to be head of the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) today announced that he will name he will name several more staffers from his U.S. Attorney’s office to his cabinet, NewJerseyNewsroom.com reports.

Robert Hanna (Gibbons P.C.)

Christie has tapped Robert Hanna to be the director of the Division of Law in the Attorney General’s office. Hanna, the director of the Newark, N.J. law-firm, Gibbons PC, previously was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for 16 years.

Stephen Taylor (Taylor, Colicchio & Silverman, LLP)

In addition, Stephen Taylor will be the director of Criminal Justice in the AG’s office. Taylor, who has worked in the Essex County prosecutor’s office, also has worked in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, N.J. He has served as chief of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and as chief of the Terrorism Unit.

Deborah Gramiccioni (gov)

The governor-elect also has selected Deborah Gramiccioni to be director of the Authorities Unit in the AG’s office.  Gramiccioni, who is the outgoing state Criminal Justice director, previously was the assistant chief of the fraud section in the criminal division and chief of the Commercial Crimes United in the U.S. Attorney’s office in Newark, N.J.

Christie has already tapped three of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration – Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel; Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel; and Charles McKenna, who will head the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness.

Carmen Ortiz (Adelphi University)

Attorney General Eric Holder will attend a ceremonial swearing-in Monday for Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, a spokesperson for Ortiz’s office told Main Justice.

Ortiz was officially sworn in on Nov. 9, a few days after the Senate confirmed her. But U.S. Attorneys often have a later ceremonial investiture with local, state and federal leaders in attendance.

The Attorney General has attended six U.S. Attorney investitures so far. He was at the swearing-in ceremonies for Paul Fishman in New Jersey, Timothy Heaphy in the Western District of Virginia, Neil MacBride in the Eastern District of Virginia, Preet Bharara in the Southern District of New York, B. Todd Jones in Minnesota and  Joyce Vance in the Northern District of Alabama.

Read our previous article here about the warm glow U.S. Attorneys get when the Attorney General shows up at their swearing-in ceremonies.

Chris Christie (Gov)

New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) this afternoon plans to announce that he will name another former colleague from his U.S. Attorney’s office to his cabinet, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports. Christie has already tapped two of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration – Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel, and Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel.

Christie has selected Senior Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles McKenna to head the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, The Star-Ledger reports. The position does not require state Senate confirmation. McKenna currently is the chief of the criminal division in the New Jersey’s U.S. Attorney’s office and served as Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for much of Christie’s tenure as U.S. Attorney from 2002 to 2008.

Christie will be sworn in as governor on Jan. 19.

Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R)

If New Jersey Gov.-elect Chris Christie (R) in fact had been considering appointing his controversial ally from the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey, Ralph Marra, to be state attorney general, as previous reports indicated, he’s decided against it.

Christie will name Essex County, N.J., prosecutor Paula Dow (D) to the post today, The Associated Press reports. The New Jersey attorney general is an appointed position, not elected, but requires confirmation by the state Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.

Ralph Marra (Getty Images)

Marra recently returned to his First Assistant U.S. Attorney position after serving as acting U.S. Attorney, a post he assumed in December when Christie resigned to run for governor. Yesterday, Obama administration appointee Paul Fishman was sworn in as the state’s new U.S. Attorney.

During the campaign, Marra’s office was criticized by Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine’s campaign for foot-dragging on Freedom of Information Act requests about Christie’s tenure. In addition, the Justice Department launched an ethics probe of Marra for remarks he made at a news conference about a major public corruption sweep Chrthat Democrats said were intended to boost Christie politically.

Paula Dow (gov)

Dow previously worked with Christie in the U.S. Attorney’s office, serving as counsel to the U.S. Attorney and working in the special prosecutions division and the criminal division. She was in the office from 1994 to 2003. Before joining the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s office, Dow worked in the Southern District of New York’s office from 1987 to 1994 and for Exxon for seven years.

Christie has already tapped two of his former subordinates from the U.S. Attorney’s office for his administration – Jeffrey S. Chiesa, who will be Christie’s chief counsel, and Kevin M. O’Dowd, who will be deputy chief counsel.

PolitickerNJ reports the former New Jersey U.S. Attorney will also appoint three other prosecutors to top posts. They are:

– Phillip Kwon, a deputy chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as first assistant attorney general

– Marc Ferzan, a deputy chief of the criminal division in the U.S. Attorney’s office, as executive assistant attorney general

– Carolyn Murray, first assistant prosecutor in Essex County, N.J., as counsel to the attorney general.

UPDATE:  Christie during a noontime press conference made the nominations official, The Star-Ledger of New Jersey reports. In addition, the newspaper reports that Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Guadagno will also serve as secretary of state in the Christie administration. The lieutenant governor, which is a new position in New Jersey, may serve in duel roles in the administration except for attorney general. Guadagno was the deputy chief of the corruption unit for the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 1990 to 1998.

Paul Fishman (Friedman, Kaplan, Seiler & Adelman)

The New Jersey U.S. Attorney was sworn in today before 400 people including Attorney General Eric Holder and state dignitaries, the NBC New York Web site reported.

Some of the notable New Jerseyans, who were in attendance according to the news Web site, include:

-Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who administered the oath.

-Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)

-Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.)

-Gov. Jon Corzine.

-Gov.-elect Chris Christie, who was the George W. Bush U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

-Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who served as New Jersey U.S. Attorney under President George H.W. Bush.

-New Jersey FBI Director Weysan Dun.

Holder said Fishman will be one of his top advisers, according to NBC New York. In October, the Attorney General tapped Fishman to be on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys, a body that serves as the voice of the U.S. Attorneys at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.

“I will rely on a man I trust,” Holder said at the ceremony, according to the news Web site.

Fishman officially took the helm of the U.S. Attorney’s office in October, shortly after he won Senate confirmation. He replaced acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra, who is under investigation by the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility.

OPR is probing Marra over remarks he made this summer that could have aided Christie’s campaign for governor. The comments were about a July sting, which netted more than 40 defendants. Corzine and Christie both used investigation to show their anti-corruption credentials during the heated race for governor.

Fishman said he would make sure his office is fair and ethical. He added that his office would also fight gang crime and terrorism, according to the NBC news Web site.