N.J. governor swears off e-mail

TRENTON, N.J., July 12 (UPI) -- New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine said in response to a lawsuit seeking his e-mail records that he is swearing off electronic mail in its entirety.

Corzine said, after a lawsuit was filed by Republicans seeking e-mail correspondence between the governor and Carla Katz, the state union president and a former companion of Corzine's, that he will no longer be communicating via e-mail, The New York Times reported Thursday.

The governor claims the e-mail messages sent to the leader of the Communications Workers of America Local 1034 from a private campaign account are private messages and therefore protected by executive privilege. But to prevent future problems, he said he will rely on other forms of communication.

"We'll go back to the 1920s and have direct conversations with people," he told the Times.

Corzine acknowledged that the change could be difficult for aides to rely on e-mail to communicate with the governor.

"It'll slow processes down," Corzine said in the Times article. "We'll just have to find another way to do it."