Adopts articles of impeachment concerning James N. Hogan, Gloucester County Clerk.

2024-2025 Regular Session Introduced by Brian Bergen

Impeachment articles accuse Gloucester County Clerk James N. Hogan of illegally designing ballots for the Nov 2025 election, undermining election integrity and risking removal.

Introduced in the Assembly, Referred to Assembly State and Local Government Committee

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AR 202 — Summary

Overview

Purpose: Assembly Resolution adopting articles of impeachment against Gloucester County Clerk James N. Hogan, in connection with allegedly illegal ballot design for the November 2025 general election. The resolution contemplates presenting the articles to the New Jersey Senate for potential removal from office.

Status: Introduced in the New Jersey Assembly on November 17, 2025; referred to the Assembly State and Local Government Committee.

Type: Resolution (impeachment process), not a statute.

Background and Recitations

October 3, 2025: A Superior Court judge ruled that Hogan illegally designed ballots for the November 2025 general election and violated New Jersey ballot design statutes. The court ordered Hogan to pay $26,007 to the Republican Party to address harms caused by the actions, including changes to printed materials; the court did not require ballot reprinting to avoid voter confusion.

October 10, 2025: The Appellate Division ruled that Hogan’s ballot design violated state law and that in-person and sample ballots must be revised to comply with law.

Alleged implications: The recitations assert Hogan violated constitutional and statutory duties of the Gloucester County Clerk, engaged in egregious abuse of power, and sought to confer partisan advantage for Democratic candidates, undermining the integrity and impartiality of the county’s election process.

Key Provisions of the Bill (Articles of Impeachment)

Article I: Acknowledges that Hogan, through his actions as Gloucester County Clerk, illegally designed ballots for the November 2025 general election, violating New Jersey law.

Article II: Joins the above as an egregious abuse of power that undermines the integrity of the election and public trust in state democratic institutions.

Article III: Finds that Hogan violated the public trust and failed to perform the duties of the Gloucester County Clerk.

Article IV (implied by structure): Not explicitly numbered in the text, but the resolution includes the constitutional basis and effect for impeachment.

Impeachment Procedure and Timeline

Constitutional Basis: Impeachment is authorized by Article VII, Section III, paragraph 2 of the New Jersey Constitution.

Triggered Action: Majority vote of the General Assembly (all members) is required to impeach Hogan.

Process to Senate: The Speaker of the General Assembly must appoint a committee (sufficiently sized) to act as managers to present the articles of impeachment to the Senate “forthwith.”

Effective Date: The resolution takes effect upon adoption by the Assembly.

Next Steps: If the Assembly adopts the resolution, the articles would be presented to the New Jersey Senate for trial and potential removal.

Impact and Who Is Affected

Primary subject: James N. Hogan, Gloucester County Clerk.

Office and duties affected: Gloucester County Clerk’s office, particularly responsibilities related to designing, preparing, and printing ballots.

Public impact: Addresses concerns about election integrity and public trust; aims to remove or discipline an official deemed to have violated state election laws and breached duties to the public.

Additional Context

This is part of a formal impeachment process, not a criminal conviction. If the Senate convicts, Hogan could be removed from office and potentially barred from holding future office, depending on applicable laws and Senate procedures.