First Read - N.J. court rules citizens cannot recall U.S. senators

Chalk one up for the Constitution of the United States of America, and a loss for the Tea Party in New Jersey.

In a 4-2 decision today the New Jersey Supreme Court struck down a provision added to the New Jersey Constitution  in 1993 that gave New Jersey citizens the power to recall US Senators. New Jersey Tea Party members had been trying to recall New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez. The following passage is from MSNBC.

The only way to end a Senate term early, the court said, is clearly spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, which empowers each house of Congress to "determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member." As far back as 1906, the New Jersey Court said, the U.S. Supreme Court noted that a senator's seat "could only become vacant by his death, or by expiration of his term of office, or by some direct action on the part of the Senate in the exercise of its constitutional powers."

I find it continually amazing, fascinating, and sometimes amusing that Tea Partiers, who claim to be so concerned about about preserving and "restoring" the US Constitution, seem to have such selective memory about it's provisions.


Below, the link to full story as reported by MSNBC's Pete Williams.

First Read - N.J. court rules citizens cannot recall U.S. senators