Dec. 6 (UPI) — Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., cannot seek public office again in New Jersey following his federal conviction for bribery and related charges, a New Jersey judge ordered on Friday.
Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy ordered the ban after New Jersey officials filed a lawsuit to prevent Menendez, 71, from holding public office in the state amid rumors that President Donald Trump might pardon him.
“If Menendez applies for public office or employment or takes any steps to campaign, run for or be appointed or elected to public office, he will face a fourth-degree contempt-of-court charge,” Lougy wrote in the order filed on Friday.
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin welcomed the order in a prepared statement issued on Friday.
“Critical to preserving the public’s faith and trust in government institutions is ensuring that elected officials who commit crimes involving their offices don’t find new opportunities to regain positions of power,” Platkin said.
“Too many people in New Jersey. have a cynical viewpoint that corruption is a routine, widespread feature of our politics,” he added.
“We hope the court’s decision sends a message that it is not acceptable and it will carry consequences.”
Menendez, 71, began serving an 11-year federal prison sentence in June after being convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit extortion under cover of official right and conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice, News12 New Jersey reported.
Federal prosecutors accused Menendez and his wife, Nadine, of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, including $150,000 in gold bars.
Nadine Menendez also was convicted on related charges and was sentenced to serve 4.5 years in prison.
Prosecutors also accused Menendez of protecting business owners in New Jersey who allegedly bribed him and of assisting foreign nations in business deals and arranging for Egypt to receive $300 million in assistance from the U.S. military, according to The Guardian.
Menendez became a Senator in 2006 and resigned in August 2024, but he has maintained his innocence while appealing his conviction.
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