The New Jersey courts have given the Department of Environmental Protection until August 10, 2007 to come up with a bear management plan. The courts also set September 6, 2007 as a court date in which anyone wishing to oppose any or all parts of the new plan, can file a legal complaint.
“With this plan there’s a very rigid deadline and a deadline early enough so that it won’t necessarily require last-minute litigation in November, which is just before the time when the bear hunts normally takes place,” said Anna Seidman, a lawyer representing the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Safari Club International and other hunting groups.
Doris Lin, a lawyer for the New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance and the Bear Education and Resource Group, also said she was pleased with the process and continued to advocate for a nonlethal bear management plan.
“We hope that the new plan, whatever it is, does not include hunting and it will employ a nonlethal bear management plan,” Lin said.
SO WHAT! The state of New Jersey and in particular the judicial system there continues to make a mockery of America’s legal system by showing total disregard for the laws while creating their own system of rule.
This latest ruling by the courts is just another example of that. In 2005, the courts recognized and approved a bear management plan which called for the use of hunting as a viable means of bear management. Consequently, the state held a bear hunt that year.
When Governor Corzine took office, he upheld his promise to do away with the bear hunt and ordered Lisa Jackson, new head of the Department of Environmental Protection, to toss the court recognized bear management plan in the garbage and cancel the hunt.
Lawsuits were filed by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Safari Club International and other hunting groups, seeking an emergency ruling to allow the scheduled 2006 bear hunt to continue. The Appellate Division of Superior Court ruled it would not intervene with an emergency ruling but would hear the case at a later date. At issue in the lawsuit was whether or not Lisa Jackson has legal authority to toss out a court approved document.
We may never know as, the same court has made this new ruling that set a date for the DEP to come up with another bear management plan. Both sides had already filed briefs to deal with the suit filed by the sportsmen’s groups.
My question still remains as to whether Jackson was breaking the law by disregarding the approved bear management plan. What transpires from this point forward is moot until a ruling of such is made. It appears that the Appellate Court has no intention on making such a ruling by issuing the most recent order.
It would also appear that their intentions are to force the DEP to devise a new plan and then the Court will listen to arguments for and against such plan, therefore not having to deal with the original lawsuit.
If the courts refuse to rule on Jackson’s actions, then there is no reason to believe that should the court approve another bear management plan that she and Gov. Corzine don’t like, they wouldn’t toss that one into the garbage also.
This entire action by the Governor, Jackson and the New Jersey courts is a slap in the face, making a mockery of our judicial system. It shows total disregard of the law and it’s authority.
Until such time that our legal system is willing to rule on who has what authority, all time, money and energy spent on this bear management plan is a total waste.
The New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, Safari Club International and other hunting groups, must first insist that the court hears their lawsuit.
Tom Remington
*Note*
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