Christie loses a battle amid N.J.'s shutdown bedlam

By Samantha Marcus                                                                  July 3, 2017

 A state Superior Court Judge on Monday barred Gov. Chris Christie's administration from printing or posting additional placards blaming the leader of the state Assembly for New Jersey's ongoing state government shutdown.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson, in an emergency request filed by the state's largest teachers union, did, however, stop short of ordering the administration to remove the 500 posters it affixed to shuttered state office and outside state parks and beaches.

The signs announce "This facility is closed because of this man," below a photo of a grinning Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson).

They appeared across New Jersey with stunning efficiency Saturday morning, hours after Christie ordered state government shutdown as the result of a budget impasse.

Christie quickly took credit for the posters, telling reporters Saturday they constitute the official government advice.

"They're advice to people about why the buildings are closed," he said. "And yes, they were approved by the governor."

After a pair of public labor unions and a progressive political organization called them "wholly inappropriate" and demanded their removal, Christie added Sunday that he cleared the messages with his ethics counsel and the state attorney general.

                                                                                                                         "It doesn't advocate to vote for or against anyone," the governor said. "It doesn't advocate for any political position. It's not a political sign."

On a status conference call Monday afternoon, Jacobson said the union's claim may be justified.

"That seems to me at least a colorable claim that state funds have been used for a political purpose," she said, noting the information to the public was limited to Prieto's office phone number rather than directing the public to a website or phone number for information on the closures.

An assistant attorney general had argued the signs were merely notices to the public that state facilities were closed and not political in nature. Additionally, they were squarely within the governor's powers to post.

The attorney declined on the administration's behalf when asked by Jacobson to voluntarily abstain from posting any more signs.

New Jersey Education Association attorney Flavio Komuves said they were far from a "neutral communication." 

New Jersey's state courts were closed Monday as a result of the shutdown, but still available for emergency motions.