Earlier today, the New Jersey Senate unanimously approved Faustino Fernandez-Vina, Governor Chris Christie’s appointment to the New Jersey State Supreme Court.  Fernandez-Vina, who was born in Cuba and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, will be the second Hispanic justice on New Jersey’s highest court, Justice Ariel A. Rodriguez being the other. During his confirmation hearing, Fernandez-Vina, a Republican who will fill the seat vacated by Justice Helen Hoens, also a Republican, testified that he is a strong proponent of the doctrine of stare decisis, an important factor that eventually led to the support of Senator Raymond Lesniak, a high-ranking Senate Democrat. Lesniak had previously expressed some uneasiness over the prospect of a new justice voting to overturn Lewis v. Harris, the State Supreme Court’s recent ruling that paved the way for same-sex marriage in New Jersey.  Apparently, Fernandez-Vina’s commitment to the doctrine allayed Lesniak’s concerns, thereby resulting in the support of all other Democratic senators.