New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was handed a victory when the state’s highest court ruled he doesn’t have to fund a $1.57 billion pension budget gap, defusing an issue that posed a political challenge for the potential presidential candidate.
While the ruling averts an immediate cash crunch, the pension hole continues to restrain spending on schools, tax relief and municipal aid. Christie has vowed not to raise taxes even as he acknowledges there’s no alternate plan for closing a deficit that may top $2.7 billion through June.
The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled it’s up to the state legislature to resolve the funding issue.
“This is not an occasion for us to act on the other branches’ behalf,” the court said Tuesday in a 5-2 decision.
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