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TRENTON
– The Attorney General’s Office
announced today the retention of Peter G.
Verniero as special counsel to assist in
defending the State against a legal challenge
over the adequacy of its education funding
for fiscal year 2011.
Verniero
is currently a partner at Sills Cummis &
Gross P.C., where he chairs the Appellate
Practice Group, as well as the firm’s
Corporate Internal Investigations Practice
Group. Verniero served on the New Jersey
Supreme Court for five years before joining
the Newark-based law firm. He also served
as New Jersey’s Attorney
General between 1996 and 1999.
“I
have full confidence in the legal team that
we have assembled to prepare and present
the State’s position to the Supreme
Court,” said Attorney General Paula
T. Dow. “Peter Verniero has a long
history of public service and is extremely
knowledgeable about the long and difficult
history of school funding decisions.”
In
a matter still pending before the Supreme
Court, the State is defending its education
funding as adequate to provide a thorough
and efficient system of public education,
and necessary in light of current economic
realities. The Education Law Center has
challenged the state’s funding for
schools, asserting that it falls short of
what is needed and violates the School Funding
Reform Act.
Last
week, a Special Master assigned to hold
hearings on the matter issued his report
to the Supreme Court. Briefs commenting
on the Special Master’s report are
due from both parties on April 7, and reply
briefs are due on April 14.
As
Attorney General, Verniero previously argued
two Abbott cases before the State Supreme
Court as well as other prominent cases before
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third
Circuit. In private practice, he recently
argued a case before the State’s Supreme
Court.
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