Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday he will nominate Justice Anne Patterson, a Republican appointed by his predecessor, Chris Christie, to another term on the New Jersey Supreme Court.

In keeping Patterson, Murphy, a Democrat, is keeping a traditional balance of Republicans and Democrats on the state's highest court.

It's also Murphy's latest break from Christie, the Republican he succeeded in January. And it's ironic that Patterson is involved.

Shortly after Christie took office in 2010, he bucked a decades-old New Jersey tradition of re-nominating judges to the court when he unseated Democratic Justice John Wallace Jr. and picked Patterson, then a Morris County attorney, to replace him. Christie aimed to reshape the court to be more conservative, saying it had become too "activist."

That set off a long fight over the court's makeup with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, leaving a seat on the court in limbo for years.

Christie later appointed Patterson to the seat of outgoing Republican Justice Robert Rivera-Soto, in 2011.

But Murphy said Thursday he's "pleased to uphold the practice of reappointing good, fair-minded and qualified justices, regardless of their party affiliation."

"This is a critical tenet of an independent judiciary that I fully intend to fulfill," Murphy added in a statement. "Justice Patterson meets all of the prerequisites, and I am certain she will continue to serve the court and the residents of New Jersey with honor and integrity."

The move comes four months before Patterson's first term on the court expires. If the 59-year-old is confirmed by the state Senate for tenure, she will be allowed to serve for about another decade. Justices must retire at age 70.

Currently, the Supreme Court has three Democrats, three Republicans, and one independent justice.

Justices are appointed to one seven-year term and are then eligible for tenure until retirement.

Patterson, who grew up in Mercer County, previously worked for law firm Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland Perretti and as a deputy state attorney general.

She graduated from Dartmouth College and received her law degree from Cornell Law School.

Murphy's announcement Thursday drew universal praise. Sweeney said in a statement he supports the move.

"She has served the court and the State of New Jersey well these past seven years," Sweeney said in a statement. "In renominating Justice Patterson, Governor Murphy is reaffirming New Jersey's commitment to a qualified judiciary, regardless of party affiliation."

The Senate must confirm Patterson to another term, and Sweeney said he looks forward to seeing that happen.

New Jersey State Bar President John E. Keefe Jr. said Murphy has "restored a 60-year tradition that respects the independence of our courts, as the framers of (the state's) 1947 Constitution clearly intended."

Keefe said Patterson "has been an exemplary jurist and legal scholar" who has "authored numerous opinions and demonstrated a keen intellect, fairness, integrity and a strong and even-handed application of the law."

Murphy will likely make three more appointments to the Supreme Court.

The two other Republicans appointed by Christie -- Faustino Fernandez-Vina and Lee Solomon -- will also be up for tenure.

Meanwhile, Walter "Wally" Timpone, a Democrat that Christie appointed, will turn 70 in 2020. That will give Murphy a chance to name a new justice.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.