Philip Kwon
Philip Kwon | |
|---|---|
| Born | South Korea |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Known for | Nomination to the Supreme Court of New Jersey; service as deputy counsel at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |
Philip Kwon is a U.S. lawyer who held the position of deputy counsel at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In 2012, he was nominated by Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie to join the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a replacement for John E. Wallace Jr. However, his appointment was narrowly defeated in the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 7-6 margin. This event marked the first time in modern New Jersey history that a Supreme Court nominee was rejected by the Senate, and Kwon would have been the court's inaugural Asian American justice.
Background, education, early career and political affiliation
Originally from South Korea, Kwon immigrated to the United States in 1973. He completed his secondary education at the Bronx High School of Science, followed by earning a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in 1989. He then obtained his J.D. degree from Rutgers School of Law–Newark in 1994.
Kwon began working at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in September 1999 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney within the Criminal Division. His responsibilities included prosecuting cases related to drug offenses, gang activity, counterfeiting, white-collar crime, and immigration violations. Prior to this role, he served at the office of the New Jersey Attorney General and worked under Chris Christie as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. From 1994 until 1997, Kwon was engaged in private practice with LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae.
Before moving to New Jersey in April 2011, Kwon resided in New York and was registered as a Republican voter. Currently living in Closter, he is registered as an independent with no declared party affiliation.
Supreme Court nomination and rejection
Governor Chris Christie put forward Kwon's nomination to the New Jersey Supreme Court in January 2012 to fill the vacancy left by John Wallace. On March 22, 2012, the nomination was narrowly defeated by a 7-6 vote within the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee, making Kwon the first gubernatorial nominee for the state’s highest court to be rejected in recent history. Had he been confirmed, Kwon would have been the first Asian-American justice on that bench.
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
In July 2012, Kwon accepted an appointment to serve on the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). During February 2014, he was called to testify before a special legislative panel examining the September 2013 lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee. Reports indicate that Kwon devoted several days to preparing Bill Baroni, then deputy executive director of PANYNJ, for his November 2013 testimony asserting that the lane closures were part of an authorized traffic study.
Further subpoenas were issued to Kwon by both a grand jury and a New Jersey legislative committee in May and June 2014 concerning this controversy. At the federal trial held in 2016, Geoffrey Berman represented Kwon; Berman was later considered by President Trump for appointment as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.