Judge Says Christie Broke Law with Pension Cuts

A New Jersey judge ruled that Gov. Chris Christie (R) “violated state law when he declined to make the full payment into the state’s pension system for public employees last year and ordered him to find a way to fund it now,” the New York Times reports.

“Christie, a Republican, was hoping to use his budget address on Tuesday to revive his presidential hopes, which have suffered in recent weeks as donors have moved to candidates considered more likely to win his party’s nomination. Polls show that his approval ratings in New Jersey, once sky high, are at the lowest point of his tenure. The decision instead complicates that plan.”

The Newark Star Ledger says Christie decried the ruling as “liberal judicial activism.” He will appeal the ruling to a higher court.