Nicholas Paul Scutari[1] (born November 18, 1968)[2] is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 115th president of the New Jersey Senate since 2022.
[4] Scutari held the role of chair of the New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee for the longest period in modern history.
[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 Jersey Chris Christie was vigorously opposed to the measure, incoming governor Phil Murphy had announced that he would support legalization.
[14] In August 2024, while Governor Murphy and Lieutenant Governor Taheshea Way were out of state for the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Scutari passed four bills as acting president, including a bill that raises the cap on attorney fees in workers’ compensation cases from 20% to 25%, as well as another that gives raises to appellate judges and county prosecutors.
Other bills passed included the designation of the interchange between State Highway 42 and Interstate 295 as Ensign John R. Elliott Memorial Interchange; a bill that directs the New 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 of Linden, New Jersey, until he was ousted from the position in January 2019 for absence at court hearings.