|Statement of the Supreme Court| |Opinion Highlights|

STATEMENT OF ASSOCIATE JUSTICE GARY S. STEIN

Today I delivered to Governor McGreevey a letter informing him of my intention to retire as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, effective September 1, 2002.

Leaving a Court for which I have such deep respect and affection is difficult indeed. However, mandatory retirement is fast approaching and I have decided to get a brief head start on my return to private life.

During my twenty-five years as a practicing lawyer I had profound respect for the work of our state’s highest Court. To have served on that Court and participated in its decisions these past seventeen years has been the highlight of my professional career. To Governor Kean who initially appointed me, to the Legislature that confirmed my appointments, and to all the people of New Jersey, I express my deep and enduring gratitude for the opportunity to have been of service to this State and its citizens.

Long before I joined the Court it enjoyed a national reputation for excellence. I know that its longstanding tradition of independence and integrity, and its unwavering commitment to justice for all people, has continued and will continue unabated.

The enduring quality of the Court’s decisional work reflects the total dedication, sound judgment and commitment of all of the Justices with whom I have been privileged to serve. Each of the men and women who have been my colleagues these past seventeen years has worked diligently and conscientiously in the pursuit of justice. I shall always value their integrity, their wise counsel, and their friendship. I also express my deep respect and admiration for the dedicated members of our State’s judiciary, many of whom I have been privileged to know and work with directly.

Finally, I take great pride in acknowledging the splendid work and dedication of the fifty men and women who have served as my law clerks. Keeping track of their careers and their expanding families has been a special delight. They, too, have become colleagues and friends. I am indebted to all of them.

April 17, 2002