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>> Tonight, one with U.S. Senate candidate Andy Kim after a federal judge orders a historic injunction, pausing the long-held County line ballot system.

>> I won't stop until we get this to a permanent place and not have any problems in the future with the status quo continues to hold onto power.

>> Will the bombshell ruling reshaped New Jersey politics?

>> Eliminating the line literally means candidates now have to work for every single vote they get and they are accountable to the people, not the establishment.

>> Atlantic City's Mayor Marty smalls sounds off after authorities executed a search of his property.

>> It is political and it is racial because people don't like the fact that this Mayor has given minorities opportunities that they have never had in City Hall.

>> Forced labor.

A new report sheds light on the dangerous conditions within the seafood industry as the whistleblower at the center of the investigation speaks out.

>> It became a clear pattern of not doing the right thing, not treating the workers the way they are supposed to be treated.

>> NJ Spotlight News begins now.

♪ >> From NJPBS Studios, this is NJ Spotlight News.

With Briana Vannozzi.

>> Thanks for joining us.

New Jersey politics has been turned on its head after a federal judge Friday issued a historic decision.

Scrapping the state's controversial County line ballot system for this year's Democratic primary election.

The decades-old ballot design has long been contested forgiving party backed candidates an advantage in races by grouping them together on the ballot, helping party bosses maintain control of their power and play a large role in determining the winners and losers each election cycle.

A U.S. District Judge ruled in favor of a preliminary injunction sought by Representative Andy Kim and two congressional candidates who questioned the constitutionality of the party line.

The judge agreed to the, quote, integrity of the democratic process for a primary is at stake, calling it extraordinary.

The decision sent shockwaves through the political system and the majority of County Clerk's name as defendants almost immediately appealed.

Kim's campaign may take down the line for good.

Kim joins me now with his reaction.

Congressman Kim, thank you for joining me.

This was a bombshell decision Friday.

Do you see this as a victory?

>> I see this as real progress for the people of New Jersey, making sure they are in the driver's seat of democracy, not having a few party leaders put their thumb on the scale of democracy that has for so long been the system here.

But this is progress, but there is still much more work to be done not just for this primary, but going forward to make sure we have a permanent solution that gets rid of the County line, allows for the fairness in our elections and I won't stop until we have that.

Briana: What the judge wrote was extraordinary.

To issue a temporary injunction like this, there had to be clear and concise evidence that this was not constitutional.

How do you see it in terms of this playing out?

We already know quite a few County Clerk clerks, 17 by last count, filed for an appeal.

>> We know this will continue on.

I will be honest, I find this to be frustrating for the people that more taxpayer dollars are being spent on this appeal when we should be moving forward.

The judge was clear in laying out what he saw as the strengths of our argument.

But we will continue and fight on behalf of the people of New Jersey to make sure we have fairness for the election this June.

I will not stop until we get this into a permanent place.

Briana: What does that look like, not stopping until you get this to a permanent place?

That could be expensive and drawn out.

>> It could be drawn out, but honestly I'm not hearing people talking about the constitutionality of this.

I'm hopeful we can move forward in a place that can consolidate this and show there is a consensus that what we had before is unfair.

Briana: This only applies to the Democratic ballot.

For the June 4 primary, the Democratic ballot will be locked bracketing as opposed to the previous party line bracketing.

You believe this should apply to both parties?

Is there perhaps any injustice you see by having two different ballots for this primary and perhaps moving forward, if this is not a strong will on that side?

>> I certainly believe overall, yes, this should apply to everyone and we should have the same process for all.

That is what we will be fighting for.

Briana: How do you see this shifting politics in New Jersey?

>> I'm excited to see what comes next.

This will give an opportunity for a lot of great public servants to consider stepping up to run, getting more people involved and frankly I think this will be better for the Democratic Party as well, showing we are trying to move in that direction, being consistent to our values of protecting democracy and having equality and fairness underpin our government.

Briana: There was a lawsuit against the party line stemming from 2020 that has been largely dormant.

Do you think had you not jumped in the race for Senate, that you would have personally pushed this endeavor as you have, and do you think we would be at this point?

>> I don't think we would be at this point this quickly.

We were able to accelerate that very fast.

Our efforts are successful because of the previous actions, the previous lawsuit set the tone.

I'm glad we were able to do our part in terms of moving this forward.

Especially doing it fast and in a way that was able to show not just the state, but the country the problem we have in New Jersey.

Briana: Congressman, thanks so much.

>> Thank you.

Briana: A federal judge clarified over the weekend, the ruling only applies to the Democratic primary, not the GOP, setting up an immediate scramble for the 19 clerks and counties using partyline ballots.

Many still claim it will cause chaos.

A senior political correspondent reports, this is not a final ruling but there is no doubt it creates a seismic shift in party politics as we know it.

>> How many seismic shifts can a state's political landscape take in a month?

We are finding out as the county line saga takes another sharp turn.

A federal judge ruling Friday that the system that has ruled New Jersey politics for generations is invalidated for the June primary at least.

>> This is the beginning.

Assuming the decision holds, which I think it should and hope it will, it is the opening of the door.

>> We asked this professor, who authored the report that provided the combustible material that blew everything up this month, what now?

>> The most immediate impacts will be more people will run for office.

Not this election cycle, because it is a done deal, the deadline has passed, but I think we will see more people running going forward.

I think we will see a more diverse slate of candidates.

We have a very overwhelmingly white and male legislature and the county line has a big role in that because of the power of the Party Chair is to decide who gets the line and the fact that the chairs are overwhelmingly white and male.

>> There was lots of celebrating by partyline opponents this weekend, but this is a decision that affects only this June's primary and seemingly just for laughs, will only apply to the Democratic primary.

That said, there are real-world implications for several races across the state this June.

>> Murphy and Andy Kim's district hadn't gotten the lines, Conway was looking like a prohibitive favorite.

With that line out it doesn't mean she is going to win or he will win, it means it is a reset, a do over.

>> Which is only right, says Sarah, who is also in the third District race and a plaintiff in the case.

>> Eliminating the line means candidates have to work for every single vote they get.

They are accountable to the people, not the establishment, not party buses -- party bosses.

>> Patricia is not only a longtime advocate for eliminating the party line, she is also a candidate for the Democratic Senate seat against Andy Kim, who she said has used the ultimate security of the party line, which Kim has if the decision gets overturned, to avoid the rigors of an issue oriented campaign.

>> Now we have candidates who can compete on our credentials and our record and ability to engage regular voters.

Now it is about issues and experience to drive policy solutions.

>> Supporters of the partyline system, which include the governor and the first lady, say it has served New Jersey well as a filter against extreme candidates and especially nowadays, monied interest with an agenda.

>> This is not a silver bullet.

Money will continue to be part of elections fundamentally, but I think that the notion that somehow the line was a moderating force against millionaires being able to enter politics or millionaires being able to throw money in elections is false.

>> While the line ain't dead yet, it has never been this close.

Whether you think it is the best thing to happen to small deed -- small deed democracy in your time or the end of democracy as we know it, New Jersey appears to be on the verge of some kind of historic change.

I'm David Cruz, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Atlantic City's Mayor Marty small finds himself at the center of controversy, addressing the public for the first time since search warrants were carried out at his home late last week.

He disclosed little detail but confirmed it is part of an ongoing investigation into what he called a family matter.

>> We are not going to entertain you because if I wanted to entertain clowns I would buy a ticket to the circus.

>> Atlantis it -- Atlantic City's Mayor didn't appreciate his home being turned into what he described as a circus when police served search warrants at his home.

He says his family has been under investigation for several months.

>> We are dealing with a family matter, DCP and peak which has been excellent.

We are going through family therapy and all of it.

>> This entire investigation arose from nothing more than a personal and emotional family matter.

>> Small and his attorney say it is not a criminal matter.

The search happened hours after the principle of Atlantic City high school was arrested for failing to report child abuse.

Small did not elaborate on why his home was searched and offered details as to what the investigation is about.

>> There is no book or course in college to show you how to be a parent.

More importantly how to deal with the struggles of raising teenagers.

>> Speculation reached a fever pitch over the weekend, leaving small to address some of the more salacious rumors regarding his family.

>> My daughter was pregnant with twins and I beat the -- out of her so bad that I killed the babies.

My daughter is not pregnant with twins.

As I said, she has never been pregnant.

>> The search warrants have nothing to do with Mayor Small's important public matters.

>> 20 law enforcement officials with guns, rifles, battering rams and more ascend to our proximity.

>> This was done in a very aggressive and public manner.

>> Small says the warrants were served aggressively to embarrass him.

>> It is political and racial.

Because people don't like the fact that this Mayor has given minorities opportunities that they have never had in City Hall.

>> The prosecutor's office sent a statement saying the search was conducted appropriately.

Jacobs said Small's home and cars were searched but wouldn't answer if children's phones were taken.

>> Are you going to move to quash anything?

>> Thank you for attending.

We have no further comment.

>> They may not be accepting further questions, but questions are still coming for a Mayor who has been no stranger to controversy while leading his city.

In Atlantic City, Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Americans have a growing appetite for cheap shrimp but our taste for shellfish and the market's refusal to pay higher prices can come with a cost.

Roughly 90% of shrimp eaten by Americans is imported, often from places with a history of human rights violations.

An investigation shines light on the dark side of frozen shrimp found on the shelves of major grocery stores in New Jersey and around the country.

NJ Spotlight News is continuing our coverage on the work of the Outlaw Ocean project, investigating the seafood industry.

It published reporting focused on the company choice canning, which has offices in Jersey City, and the operation of a packing plant in India that supplies frozen shrimp to Walmart and all the among others.

The reporting found the company shipped shrimp raised with antibiotics under an antibiotic free label.

It detailed harsh conditions for the workers.

Take a look.

>> The toilet facilities have no doors.

Broken showerheads that don't work.

>> Erratically, working conditions like these shouldn't be possible.

>> Before Aldi buys our products they need certain certifications in place.

This should cover everything you could want averted as far as food safety, quality, legality and authenticity.

>> It is an open secret these audits are problematic.

>> The problem is, they only see what you allow them to see.

Briana: The investigation is based largely on evidence made public by the plants former general manager, who kept messages, company documents and made audio recordings of conversations he had with choice canning staff and management.

He quit and returned to the U.S. in February and immediately filed whistleblower complaints with multiple federal agencies.

I spoke with him about his experience in India and why he is coming forward now.

Welcome to the show.

You were hired to manage a major shrimp processing plant.

What were the first signs, red flags as it were, that said to you there are concerns here and I need to look into this?

>> Thanks for having me on.

The first sign that there were problems was a text message in the middle of the night from a production manager who was on site at the factory telling me there was a migrant worker who was running through the compound trying to escape over the compound walls because security would not allow her to leave, and her labor contractor wanted her to pay money to leave.

Briana: So maybe there was an indication that these workers were being held against their will?

This was your first time working in India, at a plant like this although you had previous experience in the seafood industry.

>> That was definitely a red flag for me.

I did have previous experience in the seafood industry, and the regulatory compliance and quality insurance -- assurance parts of it.

One of my duties has always been assessing outside contractors and processing facilities to ensure that they are fully complying with all of the human rights and labor codes and making sure that everything was aboveboard with what was going on.

Briana: So you get to this location, and what do you notice about the work environment, both what you were shown and what you discovered?

>> What I noticed, what I was shown was the dormitory facilities, and they were incredibly cramped.

There are toilet and shower facilities for about 250 workers .

There are beds for 550 workers.

There were actually over 650 workers living on site.

I already knew from emails that went out from HR and employee welfare that there were people sleeping on floors, people sharing beds.

Once I walked around on my own, I found other areas where people were being housed, where they really were sleeping on floors and dirty mattresses with no blankets, no pillows, no she, no anything.

Briana: Did you raise this concern to HR?

And to upper management there, and what happened when you did?

Briana: Everything -- >> Everything was explained to me that it was a misunderstanding, a one-off.

There was a delay in somebody else responding to an email.

Eventually it got to the point where these weren't misunderstandings.

It became a clear pattern of not doing the right thing, not treating the workers the way they are supposed to be treated.

Briana: So there are alleged human rights violations.

Give us examples of how the company tried to cover this up allegedly.

>> So you and I can finish our work day and we can go home, or we can go anywhere we want to go.

These workers can't.

They finish their work day and the only place they are able to go is back to their dorm room no recreational area and they can't leave the compound to go do anything else.

There is a gate pass system that is used by security and by the workers' contractors.

It very much restricts all movement for these migrant workers.

Briana: Beyond what the workers were facing, living arrangements and the environment, you also filed complaints about issues with sanitation, coverups as far as antibiotics in the shrimp.

Can you give me examples of what you saw and what you were uncovering?

>> Oh one thing I saw with antibiotics and the shrimp, the FDA bands -- bans the import of any antibiotic positive shrimp.

It is not meant for human consumption.

I knew that, I thought I knew that all of the raw materials, all of the shrimp purchased by Choice Canning were coming from certified farms that didn't use any of these antibiotics.

What it turned out to be is that all of the shrimp was being purchased from farms that were just local, unregistered, unregulated farms and antibiotics were used regularly.

They were brought to the factory, packed, shipped to the U.S. regularly.

Briana: To major distributors, as outlined in the investigation.

Wake Fern, which owns and operates ShopRites, Walmart and Sam's Club, Aldi in the U.S. and Germany.

These are potentially landing and homes, many homes of folks in the U.S. who are unknowingly consuming this.

Thinking they are getting a different product.

>> Absolutely.

When consumers go shopping, you shouldn't have to stop what you are doing and ask yourself if the shrimp in your hand is safe to eat.

Briana: At what point did you decide I need to come forward about this?

>> It was in the middle of January when I spoke with my wife and family, and explained everything that was happening.

We all agreed that it is not anything I should be involved in and it is something people need to know and people need to understand what is actually happening over there.

And what is actually winding up on our dinner tables here.

Briana: Joshua filed a whistleblower complaint against Choice Canning, a major distributor.

Thank you so very much.

>> Thank you.

Briana: Choice Canning denied the allegations of human rights abuses and lying about shipping shrimp raised by antibiotics and lawyers for the company sent two detailed responses to the outlaw ocean project denying wrongdoing in India or the U.S., noting Choice Canning has never had issues with the FDA related to antibiotics in shrimp, claiming operations follow all local labor laws.

Lawyers questioned Joshua's credibility by raising prior funnel in the -- felony convictions in Pennsylvania.

They have threatened to sue the outlaw ocean project but no litigation has been filed.

In our spotlight on business report, stocks slid to kick off the second quarter as traders wait Rush inflation data amid fears the market rally could slow down.

Here is how the markets closed on the first of the month.

And that does it for us tonight.

Don't forget to download the NJ Spotlight News podcast.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For our news team, thanks for being with us.

We will see you back here tomorrow.

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♪