They have been particularly incensed by its involvement in the hiring process for dock workers. We just dont know what the court is going to do., The new beautiful people who love to equate social justice with unconstrained real estate development love to say that everybody could get a great place to live whereever they want if only developers were allowed to build anyplace they wanted to, as tall as they like. The Waterfront Commission sued New Jersey over the law but its case was tossed when a federal appeals court ruled in 2021 that only New York could sue to stop the Garden States withdrawal. [10], Officers wear a darkblue NYC-style police uniform, with:[11], It also includes a duty belt with equipment. The bi-state agency was founded in All rights reserved (About Us). 2023 www.northjersey.com. Additional motions and responses from the two states are expected to be filed to the Supreme Court through November. One party cant keep the other on the hook forever, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. The commission which includes one member from each state appointed by its governor has jurisdiction over all the regions piers and terminals, including the ports in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn. Last week, New Jersey announced it would pull the states representative from the commission of New York Harbor by the end of the month, essentially leaving the agency unable to continue operating lawfully. Jeremy Feigenbaum, a lawyer for New Jersey, argued before the court that the 1953 agreement to create the commission had no language preventing one state from deciding to leave. The Waterfront Commission which includes one member from each state appointed by its governor has jurisdiction over all the regions piers and But while the high courts action ends the commissions efforts to stop New Jersey, that may not be the end of the battle. The language of the compact creating the commission does not specifically address whether either state can decide on its own to withdraw. And on Friday, the shipping industry said it would no longer pay millions in annual charges to the commission, pointing to the states position that it would not be able to operate legally without a quorum. In 1953, New York and New Jersey agreed to each delegate their own licensing and policing powers to the bistate agency. Upon assuming the position, current Governor Phil Murphywho previously promised members of the International Longshoremens Association that he would, as he declared in his campaign speech before the 2017 election, figure out the damn Waterfront Commission once and for allwas faced with a lawsuit on his first day of office. Chief Justice John Roberts disagreed, at one point saying it's "hard to unscramble the eggs" of the Port Authority but it's not so "disruptive" to dissolve a much smaller organization such as the Waterfront Commission, whose work is limited to performing background checks and investigations into suspected criminal port activity. A long-running battle challenging New Jerseys right to walk away from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor came under sharp questioning by justices 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 Isnt that an extraordinary thing? he asked. New Jersey attempted to withdraw from the pact in 2018.[1]. Chief Justice John Roberts at one point during argument said it seemed to him that after 70 years of the Waterfront Commission's operation it's going to take a long time and hard work to kind of unravel all of this if New Jersey wants to walk away. WCNYH Background Information Questionnaire. The Labor Department said the commission has been successful in making daily hiring and training fairer on the docks, which has stymied crime there. Kathy Hochul. Axelrod). State Sen. Joseph Cryan wants New Jersey to sever ties with the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, an law enforcement agency that has been credited with breaking up La Cosa Nostra organized crime groups, associates of which have financially supported the lawmakers political campaigns. The commission added that the agency has worked to break the cycle of corruption on the waterfront by preventing individuals with mob ties from infiltrating the workforce. Austin Raynor, assistant to the solicitor general for the U.S. Department of Justice, took questions from the court about department's defense of New Jersey. Chris Christie in his final week in office, even though he had once vetoed it as unconstitutional. It is harder for corruption and undue influence to take hold if it has to succeed in two states.. 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). Hochul to bring a new case last year before the Supreme Court. The state says the commission has become an impediment to economic growth.. [20][1], The Supreme Court has paused New Jersey's withdrawal from the compact creating the commission until it has addressed the merits of an injunction filed by the State of New York.[21][22]. The commission's formation followed by several decades the creation of the vastly bigger Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees transportation infrastructure in the region. If not, that would open the door to an ongoing fight should New York go to court to seek an injunction. Gov. Our withdrawal is long overdue, said New While a federal judge struck down the New Jersey law, ruling that the governor and the state Legislature could not abandon the bi-state agreement, the ruling was overturned by he U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. While New Jersey has sought to unilaterally withdraw from the decades-old bi-state agreement and, in turn, the commission of New York Harbor due to outdatedness, New York argues the exit would be in violation of the Compacts Clause of the Constitution. Cargo ships docked in Port Newark. 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. That territory includes the ports in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn). The New Jersey law takes the money that would have gone to the Waterfront Commission and sets it aside for the State Police to use to regulate the ports. We are reviewing all options, Hochuls press secretary, Hazel Crampton-Hays, said in a statement. Others, though, say an even higher stakes battle might be at hand. The bi-state agency was founded in 1953 by a Congressional authorized compact between New York and New Jersey "for the purpose of eliminating various evils on the waterfront in the Port of New York Harbor." Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Whether anyone would actually be hired was not promised. In 1950, the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was created to investigate crime, particularly in the shipping industry, as Senate hearings became increasingly covered by newspapers as well as shown in local theaters to the public. The report detailed extensive illegal, corrupt and unethical behavior on the part of Waterfront Commission staff. WASHINGTON U.S. Supreme Court justices spent nearly an hour poking holes in the points made by a lawyer representing New York during oral arguments Wednesday in a case spurred by New Jersey's bid to leave the bi-state Waterfront Commission. 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Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, unilateral withdrawal from the watchdog agency, has already become a presence in the port areas, pushed back on the states requests for information, ruling that the governor and the state Legislature, cannot simply decide on its own to end a nearly 70-year-old compac, it would no longer pay millions in annual charges. Last month, the Office of the Solicitor General in its own brief concluded the commission did not have the authority to file a petition seeking to overturn efforts by the New Jersey Legislature to withdraw from its interstate agreement. I dont know that we can draw the inference that you want us to draw.. 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 When they entered the waterfront compact, the two states together, because of their shared port, they faced a really tremendous problem of crime and corruption at the shared port that the Port Authority was not prepared to deal with, she said. The letter said New Jerseys move cannot go unchecked.. 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. On Monday, the nations high court declined to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that sided with New Jerseys argument that the commission didnt have standing to sue the state. The commission was created in 1953 when organized crime had infiltrated the port and was demanding payments from workers and shippers through extortion and violence. Phil Murphy reiterated Wednesday that New Jersey would unilaterally leave the bi-state Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, calling it a completely YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. The Southern District said the commission provided invaluable support in investigations of La Cosa Nostra families and racketeering cases involving labor unions. In separate letters sent to the U.S. Department of Justice this summer and obtained by POLITICO, the FBI, Department of Labor and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York also all argued the Waterfront Commissions role remains vital. January 18, 2023. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. So, there has been tension over the past couple of decades about whether the Waterfront Commission should still exist in its current form or whether it should exist at all.. The Police Division operates in Manhattan and Brooklyn and has three offices, two in NY: The Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor cooperates with various state, federal, and local law enforcement authorities in pursuing investigations into waterfront-related crimes. The letter included Civil Service classification questionnaires to anyone seeking to transfer onto the New Jersey payroll as employees of the State Police. At another point, however, Roberts distinguished the Port Authority from the Waterfront Commission, which he called a "very important but relatively small enterprise dealing with a particular problem. Roberts suggested to Judith Vale, who was arguing on behalf of New York, that it would be not that disruptive for New Jersey to withdraw. In 2018, on his last day in office, New Jersey Gov. New Jersey argues that was a long time ago and that the agency has now outlived it useful life. Now, all eyes are turning to New York and to the merits of the commission itself and whether organized crime is still a major threat. Murphy reiterated the state's belief that the commission, which was formed in 1953, is "outdated and inefficient" and "has become an impediment to economic growth. New Jersey lawmakers saw things differently, and instead found organized crimes influence had waned. Several justices leaned back in their chairs as they listened to Vale's final arguments, but none followed up with questions. The commission, which was created by New York and New Jersey in response to the deep-rooted corruption once prevalent on the docks, has jurisdiction over all the regions piers and terminals. New Jersey began the process of withdrawing from the Waterfront Commission in 2018 as some state lawmakers made the case that the commission Gov. It asked for details on their current positions and resumes. In essence they The justices spent more time asking Feigenbaum how to craft their opinion in New Jersey's favor than challenging his arguments. Murphy, following the oral arguments, said he was optimistic that New Jersey would prevail in the case and will finally be allowed to reclaim authority over its ports with a regulatory structure more suited for the 21st century.. 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. The Waterfront Commission, which has jurisdiction over the region's ports and marine terminals, would shut down unless New York goes to court.Star-Ledger file photo. Its formation in 1953 came in the wake of series newspaper stories that exposed the racketeering and labor abuses then widespread on the piers which led to major reforms inspiring the Marlon Brando film classic On the Waterfront.. 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 influence of organized crime, and vet dockworkers. Those supporters also showered state lawmakers with political contributions over the years. 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. 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. Marlon Brando in the 1954 motion picture "On the Waterfront." 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. The Waterfront Commission had sued to stop New Jersey from abandoning the agreement that established it decades ago, a move that would have effectively killed it. How NJ lost $850M to NY:A look inside the negotiations to split federal transit funds. Ted Sherman may be reached at [emailprotected]. Employees were specifically asked: Describe in detail the work required of this position. Rather, the justices were most interested in the sovereign powers of states involved in a bi-state commission, and the minutiae of contract and compact law used to create the commission. Justice Amy Coney Barrett said it seems very odd that New York wants to keep the commission even though most of the ports business is now conducted on the New Jersey side of the harbor. 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. Now, in the era of container shipping, about 80 percent of cargo goes through New Jersey. The State Police, tasked with the role of taking over the enforcement role of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor on March 28, has asked some of agencys staff if they want to work for them. New Jersey argued that its state police force could take over the commission's work of vetting and licensing union labor. Justice Samuel Alito questioned her on that point. Isnt it a kind of weird thing to think that any state gives up its sovereignty forever?. WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to allow New Jersey to withdraw from a commission the state created decades ago with New York to combat the mob's influence at their joint port. Hochuls counsel has added that the commission remains a major player in the ongoing battle against organized crime and corruption in the ports shared by the two states. Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. The agencys two commissioners and executive staff members were swept out and new leadership has since been installed. The WCNYH has its own police division (a.k.a. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter. The State Police has already become a presence in the port areas in New Jersey in advance of the March withdrawal deadline. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed New Jersey a victory in its effort to abolish the 70-year-old Waterfront Commission, declining to intervene for now 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. Gov. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. In the legislative findings that accompanied the law, lawmakers said the commission has over-regulated the businesses at the port in an effort to justify its existence. New Jersey officials have also pointed to corruption at the commission itself over a decade ago, though it has since been restructured. In arguments before the court, New York Deputy Solicitor General Judith Vale said while there was no expectation that the new commission created to clean up the port would be permanent, she told the justices there was an intention to prohibit unilateral withdrawal by either side. All rights reserved. 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). Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. All rights reserved (About Us). Vale responded that commerce from the joint ports of New York Harbor remained a huge driver of the states economy and that New York itself still has sovereign interests in the marine terminals operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey located in New Jersey. Make descriptions so clear that persons unfamiliar with the work can understand exactly what is done.. Justice Elena Kagan reiterated that point. The justices only ruled on whether it would hear the commissions arguments to strike down the action by the governor and the Legislature in New Jersey. But New Jersey argued, among other things, that "mere silence as to withdrawal gives one State no basis to hold another hostage to a compact forever." Phil Murphy says he wants New Jersey to pull out of a law enforcement agency formed to fight the Mafia at the ports. Cargo ships docked in Port Newark.Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, A long-running battle challenging New Jerseys right to walk away from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor came under sharp questioning by justices on the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, with at least one skeptical justice suggesting that forcing the state to stay would be an extraordinary thing.. The commission was set up in August 1953 (a year before the movie On the Waterfront) to combat labor racketeering. Though he had once vetoed it as unconstitutional specifically address whether either state can decide on its own to from... An injunction formed to fight the Mafia at the ports in Newark, Elizabeth Bayonne. 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