But each state, she added, had agreed to give up an element of their sovereign powers in return for the benefits of shared regulation of the waterfront. Phil Murphy reiterated Wednesday that New Jersey would unilaterally leave the bi-state Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, calling it a completely The commission which includes one member from each state appointed by its governor has wide jurisdiction over the regions piers and terminals, including the ports in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn. At the time the commission was created, about 70 percent of the port's business came through the New York side of the port. Isnt that an extraordinary thing? he asked. In light of the complete transformation of the harbor since the 1950s, the New Jersey Legislature determined that there was no longer a continuing need for bi-state regulation of the overwhelmingly New Jersey-centered port activity, and that New Jersey should resume state regulation of its docks, the state Attorney Generals office wrote. Phil Murphy said he is "thrilled" about the brief and is confident this will bolster the Garden State's case that it can withdraw from the bistate commission without consent from New York, according to a statement released Monday. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Whether a New York-New Jersey mob-busting law enforcement agency should sleep with the fishes was the subject of arguments Wednesday before the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court ordered an abrupt halt Thursday to New Jerseys planned exit from a bi-state watchdog agency that regulates the ports and piers of New York Harbor, just four days before the state was ready to call it quits. [6][7], WCPD uses marked police patrol cars (such as Ford Explorer[8]), command centre vehicles[9] and boats for water work. The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port complex located on the East Coast of North America. It maintained that New Jersey could not decide for itself that it no longer wanted to honor its obligations under a bilateral compact ratified by Congress. When New York and New Jersey formed the Waterfront Commission Compact in 1953, they intended to prohibit unilateral termination, argued Vale in her opening statement. The Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers is responsible for screening, registering, and licensing individuals who are interested in working at the dock. But New Jersey, in its own filings before the court, argued that the reasons for the commission no longer exist, adding that cargo is now moved in shipping containers, handled by far fewer longshoremen, and that most of the ports operations have shifted to New Jersey. U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday indicated they might rule in favor of New Jersey leaving a bi-state agency with New York created to police ports, stem the 2023 www.northjersey.com. New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum, arguing the case for New Jersey in Washington on Wednesday, said there was nothing in the plain text of the compact that prohibited the state from leaving the Waterfront Commission. New Jersey attempted to withdraw from the pact in 2018.[1]. We look forward to an orderly transition from the Commission to the New Jersey State Police.. The Court has given the attorneys for New Jersey's Governor until January 7, 2021, to file their response. The State Police is planning to take over law enforcement activities in New Jersey's ports by March 28.Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Over the years, the Waterfront Commission has documented how some union leaders in the ports have raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars in pay each year by submitting weekly reports in which they claim to work more hours than there are in a week. VIDEO: Supreme Court justices question Bidens authority on student loan forgiveness, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The report detailed extensive illegal, corrupt and unethical behavior on the part of Waterfront Commission staff. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson signaled that she was unconvinced that the 70-year-old agreement between the two states was meant to be binding forever. Ultimately, New York took the issue to the Supreme Court, which handles disputes between states. The two-member commission with one commissioner from each state oversees licensing and inspections at the Port of New York and New Jersey and has its own police force. New York sued New Jersey in March over its withdrawal efforts, arguing that the two states would have to agree to the commission's disbanding, and said the work of the commission is not over, with organized crime still seeking to "exert influence" over port operations. She noted the bistate agreements silence on the matter of whether the states intended for this to continue forever, or that they would jointly agree to leave, but that one couldnt decide Im done and out. . Some academics and other states have expressed concern in their submitted amicus curiae briefs over whether a Supreme Court ruling could affect other interstate compacts. Gov. For unlimited access to her work covering the regions transportation systems and how they affect your commute,please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Phil Murphy has announced that New Jersey will withdraw from the commission in three weeks despite letters from the office of New York Gov. The next day, when Gov. Judith Vale, representing New York, argued that the agreements silence on unilateral withdrawal made the opposite point. In 1953, the states entered a compact to create a unique agency, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, with the express goal of stamping out organised crime at the port. Phil Murphy at Port Newark in December. a lower court ruling that sided with New Jerseys argument. On December 8, 2020, the Waterfront Commission attorneys filed their petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the Supreme Court. The state plans to withdraw from the commission and turn over its policing role to the New Jersey State Police. Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Vale that it seems very odd that New York wants to hang on to the commission when the majority of the port's business goes through its New Jersey side. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar chided New York's case in those documents, calling its arguments "internally inconsistent.". The two-member commission with one commissioner from each state oversees licensing and inspections at the Port of New York and New Jersey and has its Only a city with such dense neighborhoods and opinionated residents could possibly give rise to so many hyper-local, active resident groups. Chris Christie signed the bill into law in his final week in office. Additional motions and responses from the two states are expected to be filed to the Supreme Court through November. Gov. That fight, if it comes, will almost certainly put more focus on the role of organized crime on the New York and New Jersey waterfront, which was the reason the commission was created in the first place. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Proponents charged that the agency had over-regulated business in an effort to justify its existence. Gov. The Waterfront Commission was formed to weed out organized crime and prevent it from infiltrating commerce and work at the ports in New York and New Jersey. The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor was created to address of racketeering and unfair hiring practices at the jointly-run Port of New York and New [17], In October 2014, the New Jersey Senate passed measure S-2277 which would direct the governor of New Jersey to withdraw from the bi-state compact and transfer the commission's oversight responsibilities in New Jersey to the state police. After a federal judge struck down the New Jersey law ruling that the governor and the state Legislature could not simply walk away from its agreement with New York the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed the ruling. The Staten Island Ferry crosses New York Harbor past the Manhattan skyline. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The U.S. Supreme Court will not intervene in New Jerseys efforts to kill the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor a bi-state agency created more than 65 years ago to police the regions ports ending for now a years-long legal fight over the policing of the ports of New York and New Jersey. June 24, 2019. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. One party cant keep the other on the hook forever, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. Charges of racketeering conspiracy, extortion, theft of union benefits, mail fraud, false statements, loansharking, embezzlement of union funds, money laundering, and illegal gambling, dating back over three decades, were brought forth by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York in February2008 against leaders of the Gambino crime family, their associates, and union officials. January 18, 2023. Noting that most of the port activities are now based in New Jersey, they claimed the Waterfront Commission had also hurt the states economic interests. Download. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). | Mark Lennihan/AP Photo. The survival of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor came before the nine justices after New York sued New Jersey over the Garden States unilateral effort to shut down the bistate agency. WCNYH Background Information Questionnaire. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Other justices on the court focused on whether the 70-year-old agreement that created the bi-state agency to fight corruption and mob influence on the regions docks had ever been intended to be permanent. New Jerseys arguments have been bolstered by the U.S. Office of the Solicitor General, which argues the governments position for the federal Justice Department in cases before the Supreme Court and was specifically asked by the court to weigh in on this one. Washington, D.C. U.S. Supreme Court justices spent nearly an hour poking holes in the points made by a lawyer representing New York during oral arguments Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Description. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The Supreme Court is not trying to get into the goods or bads of the commission, but really the simple legal question of whether New Jersey can unilaterally leave this bi-state compact, said Rivard. The Waterfront Commission sued to save itself and, after years tied up in court, the case was turned away in 2021 on issues of standing. New York docksparticularly in Red Hook, Brooklyncurrently handle a sliver of the New York Harbor and port trade compared to New Jerseys estimated 80 to 90 percent.
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