Bruce Harris

Who is Bruce Harris?

Bruce A. Harris is an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey. A Republican, he has served as mayor of Chatham Borough, New Jersey since January 2012. He previously served on the Chatham Borough Council from 2004 to 2012.

Harris attended Amherst College, graduated magna cum laude. He earned an MBA from the Boston University Graduate School of Management and a JD from Yale Law School. He is currently Of Counsel at Greenberg Traurig LLP in Florham Park, New Jersey.

After eight years on the borough council, Harris ran for mayor of Chatham Borough in November 2011, defeating Democratic incumbent Nelson Vaughan. Harris took office as mayor in January 2012.

On January 23, 2012, governor Chris Christie nominated Harris to an open seat on the New Jersey Supreme Court. His nomination was rejected on May 31, 2012, by the Senate Judiciary Committee in a 7-6 vote that was largely along party lines. His lack of any courtroom experience was cited by the opposition. There is a continuing dispute between Senate Democrats and Governor Christie concerning the political divide on the Supreme Court.

Harris is openly gay. If his nomination had been confirmed, he would have been the first openly gay New Jersey Supreme Court justice.