TRENTON — It’s their problem, he said in the end. Gov. Chris Christie deferred to lawmakers Tuesday over how the state will respond to a Supreme Court decision ordering that another $500 million be spent on poor public schools. "I’ve done all that I can do," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference after the ruling in the latest...
New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, outside of the State House in this file photo.TRENTON — It’s their problem, he said in the end.
Gov. Chris Christie deferred to lawmakers Tuesday over how the state will respond to a Supreme Court decision ordering that another $500 million be spent on poor public schools.
"I’ve done all that I can do," Christie said at a Statehouse news conference after the ruling in the latest round of Abbott v. Burke was handed down. He added, "The constitutional ball is in their court."
Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) said he is happy to take the ball.
"When there is good news to be had, he takes the credit for it," Sweeney said. "When there is a difficult tough situation, he says the Legislature will handle it. That’s fine, we’ll deal with it."
Christie had been outspoken about what he could do if the court ruled against him, saying on several occasions that an order to spend $1.7 billion could result in closed hospitals and layoffs for scores of police and fire fighters. He said in a radio interview that outright defiance of the court was an option.
But when the decision was handed down to provide $500 million to the 31 poor districts rather than the full amount for the entire state, Christie said he would not defy the court.
"Now listen, you elected me governor, not emperor," Christie said at a town hall meeting in Cherry Hill in the afternoon. "So here’s the deal: The Supreme Court is the Supreme Court and I have to comply with their order."
That didn’t mean he was any less critical of the court, which he will have the chance to rearrange more to his liking within the next year.
"So the Supreme Court is a less important institution maybe to some. But on days like today, you know who the Supreme Court is," Christie said. "You don’t elect a Supreme Court at all and you don’t expect them to make law. But today they made law ... They believe that they are the superior branch of government, not a coequal branch of government."
In a move observers call a "silver lining" to a legal loss for the governor, Christie offered no details on how the funds will be made up or how he thinks the Legislature should move forward with his proposed $29.6 billion budget.
"From a political standpoint, this plays right into Christie’s message," said Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University. "He talks all the time about how Trenton finds new and creative ways to spend your money and he tells that to taxpayers. Now he’s got a Supreme Court ruling telling him they have to spend an extra $500 million."
By leaving the decision with the Democratic-controlled Legislature, said Ben Dworkin, a political science professor at Rider University, Christie will be able to criticize its actions as it complies with the court.
"All of the players, including the governor, will try to position themselves in such a way so that they can criticize the position of their political opponent," Dworkin said.
But he noted that there are also risks for Christie by deferring.
"You always want to be the one making the decision, that’s a better position to be in," Dworkin said. "It’s like saying I don’t want to get elected because there are going to be too many tough decisions to make."
Previous coverage:
• Christie: N.J. Supreme Court's Abbott decision is the latest 'invoice' from an overzealous bench
• Gov. Christie: Legislature must decide how to fund Supreme Court Abbott decision