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 bridge is now safer, more inviting to cross and, The Bunker Giorno Foundation, by Blake Sandberg, Column: NYC apartments were never really affordable, by George Fiala, Yes Virginia, there is (still) a Community Board, by Katherine Rivard, Public Place battle tamped down by EPA scientist, by George Fiala, Hamilton Avenue footbridge gets an upgrade, by Nathan Weiser, Under capitalism, there are ways to beat inflation, by Brian Abate and George Fiala, When people from all walks of life need help, by George Bellows, Quinn on Books: The Dairy Restaurant by Ben Katchor, Getting the real stuff during the pandemic, by Michael Fiorito. Pretty much everyone agrees the state of New York does have standing to challenge New Jerseys exit. The Waterfront Commission declined comment on Monday. Only a city with such dense neighborhoods and opinionated residents could possibly give rise to so many hyper-local, active resident groups. All rights reserved (About Us). INTERNAL POSITIONS ONLY. [The states] would understand that when you do a compact, and you dont say anything express about termination, that you are sticking together until you jointly decide to end it, she said in response to questioning by Chief Justice John Roberts. 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. 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. New York then entered the conversation, arguing that workers move back and forth between the two states ports and that it makes sense to keep the current compact intact. WebWaterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH) News. In 2018, then-New Jersey Gov. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. New Jersey began the process of withdrawing from the Waterfront Commission in 2018 as some state lawmakers made the case that the commission Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. It certifies that those hired on the waterfront are not tied to organized crime and are otherwise fit to work in the shipping trade. 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. Industry officials also maintained that the commission overstated the problem of crime on the docks. 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. 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 Jersey obviously thinks it can, New York obviously doesnt think it should be able to. WCPD),[4] with state-certified peace officers that provide law enforcement services to the WCNYH areas. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. We look forward to an orderly transition from the Commission to the New Jersey State Police.. 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. Isnt that an extraordinary thing? he asked. It is set up differently from other interstate agreements including the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which was created in 1921. Theres this whole sort of structure to deal with political conflicts, [how] to avoid them, and [how to] reach compromises, and that doesnt exist right now at the Waterfront Commission, said Ry Rivard, a reporter who covers energy, the environment, and transportation in New Jersey for POLITICO, during the webinar. [18] In May 2015, Governor Chris Christie conditionally vetoed S-2277 (and the corresponding bill A-3506 passed by the New Jersey General Assembly), citing his concerns that the state lacked the authority to withdraw from the compact and arguing that the solution should be to modify the operations of the commission to minimize interference with waterfront operations. 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. 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. Citizen Inquiries-. The justices spent more time asking Feigenbaum how to craft their opinion in New Jersey's favor than challenging his arguments. WebWaterfront Commission of New York Harbor - Police News January 4, 2023 News Header: Warehouseman Application Denied Based on Felony Conviction, Fraud, Deceit 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 U.S. 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. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. The state has been in court for nearly four years seeking to pull out of the commission, after New Jersey legislators voted in 2018 to walk away in the wake of increasing political pressure by the industry and the dockworkers union. 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. Vale pushed back, suggesting the commission, which employs about 70 people, makes it harder for corruption and undue influence to succeed.. Whether New Jersey police are equipped to handle the job could become a new flashpoint. A host of regulations were ushered in, those with criminal records were barred from serving as union officials, and containerization later gained popularity in the 1960s. Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, did not have the authority to file a petition, ruling that the governor and the state Legislature. Make descriptions so clear that persons unfamiliar with the work can understand exactly what is done.. 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. New Jerseyalso known as the New York-New Jersey Waterfront Commission casewill soon be litigated in the U.S. Supreme Court, with oral arguments It agreed with the state and found that the commissions lawsuit impinges on the State of New Jerseys sovereignty., In a final appeal, lawyers for the Waterfront Commission went to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that if the decision were to stand, it will signal to states that they can destroy compact commissions they find irksome simply by appropriating the commissions functions for themselves.. 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. Vale made a last attempt during her rebuttal to convince the justices of the commission's essential role in the region, saying that as recently as 2006 the compact governing the commission was amended by both states to strengthen the organization's work and therefore the two states should work together to determine the commission's future. The commission has long outlived its original mission and, today, only stands as a roadblock to hiring and operations at our ports. The Waterfront Commission participated in the investigation of criminal activities by the leaders and members of the Gambino crime family and union leaders. The decision Monday means the high court declined to hear the commissions appeal in a lawsuit arguing that New Jersey could not unilaterally walk away from the federally approved interstate compact that established the agency. But while the high courts action ends the commissions efforts to stop New Jersey, that may not be the end of the battle. Resource. 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 Kathy Hochul to sue New Jersey. ", The U.S. attorneys who wrote to the court, led by Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, said New York's arguments in court documents are "mistaken" and "internally inconsistent," adding that New Jersey should be able to leave without New York's consent because it enables "each State to exercise its full sovereign authority.". The Port of New York and New Jersey is the largest port complex located on the East Coast of North America. All rights reserved. But its enforcement efforts in recent years led to mounting political pressure in Trenton, with the New York Shipping Association and International Longshoremens Association arguing that the commission had long overstepped its authority. 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. The Waterfront Commission itself was granted permission to file an amicus brief with the court, in support of New Yorks motion to stop New Jersey from killing the agency. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The unraveling of the Waterfront Commission will start now, and its duties will be taken over by the (New Jersey) State Police, he said. Kathy Hochul that New Jersey cannot simply decide on its own to end a nearly 70-year-old compact that led to the joint formation by the two states of the Waterfront Commission in 1953. 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. 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 Soon after, New Jersey went back to the drawing board to determine how it could pull out of the compact, primarily looking to shift policing of the port and background checks to the state police, which already reportedly plays a similar role in the states waste management and casino industries. The We know here that the parties never intended for this to be perpetual, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor. At the time the commission was created, about 70 percent of the port's business came through the New York side of the port. 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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Lesniak was jubilant about the Supreme Courts move and predicted a quick end to the Waterfront Commission, in part because he doesnt think New York has lifted much of a finger to fight yet. If either state were to unilaterally withdraw from that agreement, the consequences would be far reaching. The Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers is responsible for screening, registering, and licensing individuals who are interested in working at the dock. News Header: Former Checker Barred From Returning to Waterfront Following Findings That WCNYH Background Information Questionnaire. Isnt it a kind of weird thing to think that any state gives up its sovereignty forever?. The questionnaires also seemed on some level to be seeking information of just what the commission does and the day-to-day work of its staff. 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. [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]. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter. The language of the compact creating the commission does not specifically address whether either state can decide on its own to withdraw. 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. 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. Your argument is that they surrendered their sovereign authority perpetually. The effective end of the commission or the beginning of a fight with New York would come after Murphy files a formal notice to exit the commission, which he plans to do. In an interview, Paulin said she doesnt know what Hochul believes yet, but that New Jersey is setting a dangerous precedent by trying to walk away from bi-state agreements simply because it wants to. New Jersey lawmakers saw things differently, and instead found organized crimes influence had waned. The Staten Island Ferry crosses New York Harbor past the Manhattan skyline. 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