The man who “forgot where he came from” by the reckoning once of Senate President Steve Sweeney (D-3) in the middle of a contentious budget battle, today made sure to shovel some praise in the direction of his former tormentor.

“Two leaders deserve the most credit for opposing the prior administration’s efforts to politicize the NJ Supreme Court – and who fought the grotesque decision to deny Justicce John Wallace tenure,” Bill Castner tweeted at Sweeney (and Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg).

Governor Phil Murphy this morning announced his decision to nominate Fabiana Pierre-Louis to the state Supreme Court, but Castner, who had toiled within the architecture of Murphy’s circus maximus, made sure to tweet-wink Sweens.

“He wants to join the Christie-Norcross-Corzine dinner club,” shrugged an insider when asked for context, in reference to Castner’s Twitter feed.

Sweeney and George Norcross III had Castner in such a deep freeze, he found his way to Murphy’s downcast rookie budget season dugout, only to rebound with that tweet today that seemed to unravel the governor’s attempt to stand significantly and in executive solitary fashion on the podium of state Supreme Court history (with Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver).

Sweeney, to be fair, did express his irritation when Governor Chris Christie refused to re-up African American Justice Wallace earlier in the Republican Governor’s tenure, a point of contention softened and soothed over time.

Moreover, Castner could simply be deviously playing footsy on Murphy’s behalf, melting Sweeney with flattery in time for the front office’s  Covid-19 Emergency Bond Act press in the Senate caucus, on the same week the Assembly backed the Governor while the senate prez remains coy, and even obstinately Murphy-resistant.