Chris Christie’s 16-month campaign to control New Jersey spending has been rebuffed by the state’s highest court, which objected to school-aid reductions the Republican governor made to balance his first budget.
The New Jersey Supreme Court, in a 3-2 decision yesterday, ordered Christie to direct $500 million to the state’s poorest school districts for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The case involved the governor’s decision last year to cancel $1.6 billion anticipated by the 31 districts, whose students largely are poor, minority and low-achieving on standardized tests.
Christie, a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey who successfully prosecuted more than 100 corrupt public officials, said he won’t challenge the justices. He also told a town-hall meeting yesterday in Cherry Hill that he won’t raise taxes to comply with the order.
“This is the biggest setback he’s had,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute in West Long Branch, New Jersey. “That was a big check on the governor. And by accepting this, he’s accepted that going forward he’s constrained by this court ruling.”
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