MIKE CATALINI

State government reporter

Catalini covers government, elections and news primarily in New Jersey for The Associated Press. He focuses on accountability and how policy affects people.

In this image taken from video provided by Menendez for Senate, U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., announces that he will not run in the state's Democratic primary, Thursday, March 21 2024. Menendez, who faces federal corruption charges, left open the possibility that he would reenter the race as an independent later this year if he is exonerated at a trial. (Menendez for Senate via AP)

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez says he won’t run in Democratic primary

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey says he will not run in the Democratic primary as he faces federal corruption charges, but he is leaving open the possibility that he would reenter the race as an independent later this year if he is exonerated at a trial.

Antoinette Miles, state director of New Jersey Working Families, speaks at a rally outside U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., Monday, March 18, 2024. Miles and others at the demonstration oppose New Jersey's method of awarding ballot preference to candidates backed by the county political party. The court was hearing a case brought by Rep. Andy Kim and others seeking to stop the practice. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini)

New Jersey’s unique primary ballot design seems to face skepticism from judge in lawsuit

New Jersey’s one-of-a-kind method of drawing primary ballots has prompted some apparent skepticism from a federal judge.

A resident is evacuated from a home in Trenton, N.J. on Saturday, March 16, 2024. A suspect has barricaded himself in the home after allegedly shooting three people to death in suburban Philadelphia on Saturday, authorities said. The Trenton Police Department said the suspect is believed to be hiding in the house and that the residents were successfully evacuated with no injuries. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Man suspected of killing 3 people in Philadelphia area arrested in New Jersey, police say

Police say a man suspected of fatally shooting three family members in the Philadelphia area has been arrested in New Jersey after evading law enforcement for hours.

FILE - New Jersey Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin before Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his budget address to a joint session of the Legislature at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J., Feb. 28, 2023. New Jersey legislative leaders hit the brakes Thursday, March 14, 2024, on a fast-moving bill that would have overhauled the state's open records law, following an outpouring of opposition from civil rights groups, unions and others. Coughlin and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo, both Democrats, said they will work on amending the proposed legislation that came before committees earlier this week. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

New Jersey lawmakers pause open records bill overhaul to consider amendments

New Jersey legislative leaders have hit the brakes on a fast-moving bill that would have overhauled the state’s open records law.

New Jersey state Sen. Paul Sarlo, beneath the state flag, the Democratic chairman of the budget committee, listens to testimony during a hearing Monday, Monday, March 11, 2024, over his legislation, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey Lawmakers voted Monday to advance a measure that could make it easier for government agencies to withhold documents under the state's open records law, casting it as a modernizing bill that would cut back on profiteering businesses. Critics say the bill will upend the state's open records act. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini)

New Jersey lawmakers fast track bill that could restrict records access under open records law

New Jersey lawmakers voted to advance a measure that could make it easier for government agencies to withhold documents under the state’s open records law, casting it as a modernizing bill that would cut back on profiteering businesses.

FILE - New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin speaks during a news conference at his office, Dec. 12, 2023, in Trenton, N.J. Reports in New Jersey of hate crimes and other incidents of bias — like antisemitism and anti-Black behavior among others — climbed by 22% last year, according to preliminary data released Thursday, March 7, 2024, by the state's attorney general. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, File)

New Jersey sees spike in incidents of bias in 2023

Reports in New Jersey of incidents of bias climbed by 22% last year, according to preliminary data released by the attorney general.

U.S. Rep. Andy Kim delivers his campaign pitch to Burlington County Democratic voters on ahead of a vote to decide which candidate for U.S. Senate on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Kim won the vote on Saturday but his odds look longer in populous northern counties where first lady Tammy Murphy has party leader support. AP photo/Mike Catalini)

How a congressman’s challenge to New Jersey’s first lady is shaking up a key Senate race

In New Jersey, the Senate seat held by Democrat Bob Menendez has become competitive because he was indicted last year on federal corruption charges.

Murphy seek $55.9B New Jersey budget, increasing education aid, boosting biz taxes to fund transit

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has unveiled a $55.9 billion budget, up about 5% over his previous year’s proposal.

FILE - Flowers rest at the front door of the Mohn residence in Upper Orchard section in Levittown, Pa., on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. Authorities have added more charges, including terrorism, against Justin Mohn, the Pennsylvania man charged with fatally shooting his father, decapitating him and posting a video online in which he held up the severed head. (Tyger Williams/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Man charged with beheading father carried photos of federal buildings, bomb plans, DA says

The suburban Philadelphia man charged with decapitating his father and posting a video online in which he holds up the severed head had a device with photos of federal buildings and apparent instructions for making explosives when he was arrested.

In this undated photo provided by Alex Zdan, former News 12 reporter Alex Zdan, left, is seen in the studio. Zdan launched a bid for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, focusing on the U.S.-Mexico border and calling for a new generation of conservative leaders. (Alex Zdan via AP)

Ex-TV news reporter is running as a Republican for Bob Menendez’s Senate seat in New Jersey

A former TV news reporter is getting into New Jersey’s U.S. Senate race as a Republican. Alex Zdan worked for News 12 New Jersey.

FILE - Boxes of KN95 protective masks are stacked together before being distributed to students at Camden High School in Camden, N.J., Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. A federal appeals court shot down claims that New Jersey residents' refusal to wear face masks during the COVID-19 outbreak at school board meetings constituted protected speech under the First Amendment. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in two related cases stemming from lawsuits against officials in Freehold and Cranford, N.J. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Not wearing a mask during COVID-19 health emergency isn’t a free speech right, appeals court says

A federal appeals court has shot down claims that there’s a First Amendment right not to wear face masks during the COVID-19 outbreak.

FILE - A sign marks an entrance to the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, Jan. 23, 2023. The Justice Department proposed changes Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, to rules governing state-run programs that provide financial assistance to violent crime victims in order to address racial disparities and curb the number of subjective denials of compensation. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Justice Department proposes major changes to address disparities in state crime victim funds

The Justice Department has proposed changes to rules governing state-run programs that provide financial assistance to violent crime victims in order to address racial disparities and curb the number of subjective denials of compensation.

A vehicle is parked in the driveway of a home that was a scene of a murder in Levittown, Pa., on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. A graphic video from a man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web. Police said Wednesday that they charged 32-year-old Justin Mohn with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after he beheaded his father in their Bucks County home. (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Suspect accused of killing and beheading his father bought a gun the previous day, prosecutor says

A Pennsylvania prosecutor says the man accused of shooting and decapitating his father in their home northeast of Philadelphia and posting a video of the severed head purchased a gun the previous day.

A vehicle is parked in the driveway of a home that was a scene of a murder in Levittown, Pa., on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. A man has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after his father was found decapitated. Police are investigating a video on social media that allegedly shows him holding up the head. The father was found beheaded in the bathroom of his home in Levittown, on Tuesday night. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Man accused of beheading his father in suburban Philadelphia home and posting gruesome video online

A man in suburban Philadelphia has been charged with first-degree murder and abusing a corpse after his father was found decapitated.

FILE - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. New Jersey's Democrat-led state government is pushing to enact legislation to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion. Murphy called for the legislation to pass before the summer. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

New Jersey already protects abortion rights. Now Democrats want to cover out-of-pocket costs, too

New Jersey’s Democratic-led state government is considering legislation that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion. Gov.

FILE - Senator John Fetterman, D-Pa, speaks at a campaign event held for Pennsylvania judicial candidates at Snipes Farm in Morrisville, Pa., Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. Fetterman endorsed Rep. Andy Kim of New Jersey in his campaign to succeed Sen. Bob Menendez in New Jersey.(AP Photo/Ryan Collerd, File)

Fetterman backs Andy Kim as Democrats scramble to keep Menendez’s Senate seat in New Jersey

Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has endorsed Rep. Andy Kim in the congressman’s bid to win a contested primary for New Jersey’s Senate seat.

FILE - New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin speaks during a news conference at his office on Dec. 12, 2023, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, file)

NJ governor renews vows to close detention center where 50 men say they were sexually abused as boys

New Jersey’s governor recommitted to closing down the state’s largest youth detention center, and the state attorney general vowed an investigation after 50 men sued alleging they were sexually abused there.

The gate outside the New Jersey Training School carries a bygone name for the facility, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Monroe Township, N.J. The New Jersey youth detention center let a “culture of abuse,” in which staff sexually abused boys, endure for decades, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Jan. 17 in state Superior Court by 50 men who lived at the facility. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini, File)

A New Jersey youth detention center had ‘culture of abuse,’ new lawsuit says

A New Jersey youth detention center let a “culture of abuse” in which staff sexually abused boys endure for decades.

New Jersey’s State of the State: Teen voting, more AI, lower medical debt among governor’s pitches

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has announced a series of new measures he wants the newly expanded Democrat-led Legislature to adopt.

FILE - The New Jersey State House in Trenton, N.J., Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. New Jersey lawmakers were poised Monday to pass legislation that would boost their salaries from $49,000 a year to $82,000 annually, along with raises for the governor and other top officials in the state. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

New Jersey lawmakers pass pay raises for themselves, the governor and other officials

New Jersey lawmakers have passed legislation to boost their salaries from $49,000 to $82,000 annually, along with raises for the governor and other top officials.

A Newark Police vehicle is parked outside the Masjid-Muhammad-Newark Mosque in Newark, N.J. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. A imam was shot and critically wounded early Wednesday morning outside the mosque as officers worked to identify and arrest the shooter. The victim was taken to nearby University Hospital and is in critical condition, authorities said. (WABC via AP)

New Jersey police seek killer of a Muslim leader outside Newark mosque

Police in New Jersey are hunting for the killer of a Muslim leader who was shot outside his mosque. They’re offering a cash reward and reiterating they don’t think bias played a role in the violence.

A Newark Police vehicle is parked outside the Masjid-Muhammad-Newark Mosque in Newark, N.J. on Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. A imam was shot and critically wounded early Wednesday morning outside the mosque as officers worked to identify and arrest the shooter. The victim was taken to nearby University Hospital and is in critical condition, authorities said. (WABC via AP)

No evidence yet that imam’s shooting death outside New Jersey mosque was a hate crime, police say

Officials say a New Jersey imam was shot multiple times and killed outside his mosque Wednesday, and authorities continue to search for the shooter.

Migrants board a bus as they arrived on a plane from San Antonio at Chicago Rockford International Airport at 1am on Jan. 1, 2024 in Rockford, Ill. The city of Chicago said 355 migrants on the Boeing 777 boarded eight buses chartered by Abbott to be dropped off in "various suburbs." (WTVO NewsNation via AP)

Suburbs put the brakes on migrant bus arrivals after crackdowns in Chicago and New York

Some officials in suburbs and outlying cities near Chicago and New York are giving migrants arriving from the southern border a cold shoulder amid attempts to circumvent restrictions on dropping migrants in those two cities.

FILE - Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. As Democratic Party leaders have called on Bob Menendez to resign amid a federal corruption case against him, a field of robust primary challengers has already emerged has begun to win significant support from county party officials. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

What about Bob? Some NJ Democrats want Menendez to move on so they can fight for his Senate seat

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has vowed he’s not going anywhere amid a federal corruption case against him, but the party he once held considerable sway over is looking beyond him.

New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin points to a photo he says shows guns stored near a ground-floor window at a gun shop, contrary to state law, on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023, in Trenton, N.J. The shop was one of three gun dealers Platkin sued on Tuesday. The suits were the first brought by his office under a 2022 law aimed at holding gun dealers accountable by allowing the attorney general to sue under New Jersey's public nuisance laws. (AP Photo/Mike Catalini)

Three gun dealers sued by New Jersey attorney general, who says they violated state law

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey’s attorney general sued three firearms dealers Tuesday, alleging one illegally stored firearms that were visible from outside a store and that the two others tried to sell “ghost guns.”

FILE — New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney speaks with members of the media during a news conference in Trenton, N.J., Nov. 10, 2021. The former top Democratic lawmaker on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023 announced a bid for governor of New Jersey, touting his credentials as a union ironworker and longtime legislator who worked to pass minimum wage indexed to inflation and a number of other measures. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File )

Former New Jersey Senate president launches 2025 gubernatorial bid

A former top Democratic lawmaker has announced that he’s running for governor of New Jersey in 2025.

This still image provided by New Jersey State Comptroller Office shows a graphic from the NJ State Comptrollers Office report regarding a police training video. An October 2021 police training seminar in New Jersey, instructors made lewd comments about women, encouraged officers to pull people over for no reason and showed a photo of a monkey after discussing pulling over a 75-year-old Black man, according to a new state comptroller's report.” (New Jersey State Comptroller Office via AP)

Trainers at New Jersey police seminar disparaged women, made ‘inappropriate’ remarks, officials say

A new state comptroller report finds that a police training seminar in New Jersey included instructors making lewd comments about women, encouraging officers to pull people over for no reason and showing a photo of an ape after talking about pulling over a 75-year-old Black man.

FILE - New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy arrives at the Statehouse Assembly chambers prior to Gov. Phil Murphy's first State of the State address, Jan. 15, 2019, in Trenton, N.J. Murphy on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in next year's contest. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy announces run for US Senate seat in 2024

New Jersey first lady Tammy Murphy has launched a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in next year’s contest.

Democrat takes narrow lead over Republican Assembly incumbent in New Jersey contest

A Democratic candidate for a New Jersey Assembly seat has taken a slim lead over her incumbent Republican opponent.

FILE - New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy meets with Senate President Nicholas Scutari, right, and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, second right, before he delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. New Jersey Democrats have kept control of their legislative majorities, holding the line against Republican challenges as well as flipping seats in pivotal Senate races and Assembly contests. The results on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, buoyed the party’s prospects after a bleak showing in the last election. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Democrats pick up five seats in New Jersey’s Assembly, bouncing back from deep 2021 losses

New Jersey Democrats have picked up a net five seats in the Assembly, nearly erasing the GOP pickup of two years ago and dashing the Republicans’ hopes of winning a majority for the first time in two decades.