MORRIS COUNTY — Superior Court Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz has dismissed Mayor James Barberio’s amended petition seeking a recount and recheck of the November 4, 2025, Parsippany mayoral election, citing the campaign’s failure to provide the court with the legally required information needed to establish jurisdiction.
In the November 4 election, Barberio was defeated by challenger Pulkit Desai, according to the official canvass. Barberio’s petition alleged that a mistake occurred in the counting or tabulation of votes and claimed that at least four voters may have cast both mail-in and provisional ballots.
Barberio first filed for a recount on November 24. That request was dismissed the same day because it did not include the date the election was certified—information the court needed to determine whether the petition was filed within the statutory three-day deadline, as required under N.J.S.A. 19:28-1.
Barberio then submitted an amended petition on Tuesday, November 25. However, Judge Minkowitz ruled that the revised filing still failed to provide the certification date of the election results. Without that information, the court could not determine whether the petition met the strictly enforced filing window.
In his written Statement of Reasons, Judge Minkowitz noted that the amended filing referenced the County Clerk’s posting of a “Summary Report” on November 17, but did not supply the date on which the results were formally certified. As a result, the court again concluded that jurisdiction had not been established and dismissed the amended petition without prejudice.
The ruling leaves open the possibility for Barberio to submit a corrected petition, provided he can supply sufficient information to show that the request meets statutory timing requirements.
The court’s order and full Statement of Reasons were issued on November 26, 2025.
