Nicholas Paul Scutari^[1] (born November 18, 1968)^[2] is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 115th president of theNew Jersey Senate since 2022. A member of theDemocratic Party, he has held a Senate seat since 2004, representing the22nd legislative district. Scutari has served as Acting Governor of New Jersey on multiple occasions, the first time being in June 2022.

Scutari attendedUnion County College,^[3] received aB.A. fromKean University in Psychology, an Ed.M. fromRutgers University in Education and aJ.D. from theWestern Michigan University Cooley Law School. He is an attorney with the Law Offices of Nicholas P. Scutari.^[4]

Before his election to theNew Jersey Senate, Scutari was a member of theUnion CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders, where he became the youngest freeholder chairman in county history. He served as freeholder chairman in 1999, after serving a year as freeholder vice chairman. Prior to being a freeholder, he served as a member of the board of education of theLinden Public Schools.^[4]

He was nominated for the Senate after SenatorJoseph Suliga announced that he would not seek re-election after a female casino employee inAtlantic City accused him of sexual harassment.^[5]

Scutari has served on the State Government Committee (as the chair), the Joint State Leasing and Space Utilization Committee, the Commerce Committee and the Judiciary Committee.^[4] Scutari held the role of chair of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee for the longest period in modern history. He is a former commissioner of the New Jersey Clean Elections Commission. He is also a former vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee. He is President of the New Jersey Senate. Scutari was the chief sponsor ofNew Jersey's Medical Marijuana law that was signed into law in 2009 and has been an advocate for the effort to legalize marijuana for all individuals over the age of 21.^[6] After a bill he introduced failed in 2014, Scutari introduced a bill in May 2017 to legalize, regulate and tax recreational marijuana use; while then-Governor of New JerseyChris Christie was vigorously opposed to the measure, incoming governorPhil Murphy had announced that he would support legalization.^[7]

Committee assignments for the2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[4]

• Joint State Leasing and Space Utilization Committee

Each of the 40 districts in the New Jersey Legislature has one representative in theNew Jersey Senate and two members in theNew Jersey General Assembly.^[8] The representatives from the 22nd District for the2024—2025 Legislative Session are:^[9]

• Senator Nicholas Scutari(D)
• AssemblywomanLinda S. Carter(D)
• AssemblymanJames J. Kennedy(D)

On June 4, 2022, Scutari, in his capacity as the Senate president, became acting governor of New Jersey as both Governor Phil Murphy and Lieutenant GovernorSheila Oliver were out of state on personal trips.^[10][11] He became acting governor for 15 days on July 31, 2023, when Murphy was out of state and Oliver was hospitalized for an illness, from which she died the following day.^[12][13] With Governor Murphy attending a meeting of theDemocratic Governors Association inColorado in late August 2023, Scutari served in his absence as acting governor for the third time.^[14]

In August 2024, while Governor Murphy andLieutenant GovernorTaheshea Way were out of state for the2024 Democratic National Convention, Scutari passed four bills as acting president, including a bill that raises the cap on attorney fees inworkers’ compensation cases from 20% to 25%, as well as another that gives raises toappellate judges and countyprosecutors. This raised concerns because Scutari’s law firm works in these cases. Other bills passed included the designation of the interchange betweenState Highway 42 andInterstate 295 as Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange; a bill that directs theNew Jersey Department of Community Affairs to establish a self-certification program allows architects and engineers to self-certify as design professionals; and a bill that allows members of the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System to purchase credit for service as a class two special law enforcement officer.^[15][16]

Prior to his senatorship, Scutari was Municipal Prosecutor for the city ofLinden, New Jersey, until he was ousted from the position in January 2019 for absence at court hearings. He contested the report which cited that he did not appear more than 50% of the time and sued the city, the case was settled.^[17][18][19]

In Italy, his cousinDonato Scutari, a member of theItalian Communist Party, was elected Deputy and Senator of the Italian Republic. His uncle, Anthony Scutari, was chair of theUnion County Improvement Authority.^[20]

New Jersey general election, 2021^[22]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Nicholas Scutari (Incumbent)	32,044	61.5	5.8
	Republican	William H. Michelson	20,100	38.5	5.8
Total votes			52,144	100.0

New Jersey general election, 2017^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Nicholas Scutari (Incumbent)	29,563	67.3	7.8
	Republican	Joseph A. Bonilla	14,362	32.7	7.8
Total votes			43,925	100.0

• Senator Scutari's legislative webpage,New Jersey Legislature
• New Jersey Legislature financial disclosure forms
  • 2016201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004
• Senator Nicholas P. Scutari,Project Vote Smart

• 1968 births
• County commissioners in New Jersey
• American people of Italian descent
• Kean University alumni
• Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey
• Living people
• Democratic Party New Jersey state senators
• People from Linden, New Jersey
• Politicians from Newark, New Jersey
• Presidents of the New Jersey Senate
• Rutgers University alumni
• School board members in New Jersey
• Union College (New Jersey) alumni
• Western Michigan University Cooley Law School alumni
• 21st-century members of the New Jersey Legislature

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