Yes, he said in an interview, there are still some signs of organized crime around the harbor, but hardly to the extent that it was controlling the waterfront and not to any greater extent than organized crime is involved in any other activity in the state of New Jersey.. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed legislation withdrawing his state from the compact. On December 8, 2020, the Waterfront Commission attorneys filed their petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the Supreme Court. New Jersey began the process of withdrawing from the Waterfront Commission in 2018 as some state lawmakers made the case that the commission The Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers is responsible for screening, registering, and licensing individuals who are interested in working at the dock. 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. 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 Jersey Gov. The letter included Civil Service classification questionnaires to anyone seeking to transfer onto the New Jersey payroll as employees of the State Police. News Header: Former Checker Barred From Returning to Waterfront Following Findings That 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. I guess what Im trying to push back on is that, if the reason they were silent was not because they thought this was in an agreement for all times, but because they were worried about signaling to the mob bosses that they would be leaving, Jackson said. New Jersey set in motion its intent to end its agreement with New York after legislators amid political pressure from the New York Shipping Association and the International Longshoremans Association voted in 2018 to withdraw from the commission. Several justices leaned back in their chairs as they listened to Vale's final arguments, but none followed up with questions. 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. The two states also are joined together through the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a far larger agency that serves as a massive economic engine, operates the airports, bridges, tunnels and seaports spanning the metropolitan area. January 18, 2023. In essence they The U.S. Supreme Court in November decided it would not hear the case. 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 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. Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. Since then, however, New Jerseys efforts to leave have been the focus of a series of a legal fights initially launched by the commission itself, and then by New York Gov. It also argues that the industry today is not what it was in the 1950s and that this particular type of regulator (the compact) is not warranted. 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. Former New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat who had been the biggest champion of New Jerseys exit from the bi-state agreement, said the Waterfront Commission isnt needed because it was created to solve a problem that it has largely solved. The issue, as it stands, is whether the Supreme Court should issue declaratory judgment and/or enjoin New Jersey from withdrawing from its Waterfront Commission Compact with New York, which grants the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor broad regulatory and law-enforcement powers over all operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey. Judith Vale, New York's deputy solicitor general, tried to convince the court that New Jersey's departure from the 70-year-old commission would "upset and destabilize" the region. Some justices also seemed particularly persuaded by New Jersey's assertion that the commission was always intended to be temporary. The justices spent more time asking Feigenbaum how to craft their opinion in New Jersey's favor than challenging his arguments. New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin and New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood were in the courtroom, though New York Attorney General Letitia James was not. The State Police has already become a presence in the port areas in New Jersey in advance of the March withdrawal deadline. 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.. 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. 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 Gov. 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. Despite having once vetoed the measure as unconstitutional, then-Gov. Ten students, along with Council member Alexa Aviles and Principal Priscilla Figueroa celebrated the completion of the renovation with a ribbon cutting. [15][16], The report's existence was due, in part, to two whistleblowers, Kevin McGown and Brian Smith, who both resigned and have since filed a discrimination complaint against the agency. 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. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Media Inquiries-. The courts decision Monday was not unexpected. 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. The Southern District said the commission provided invaluable support in investigations of La Cosa Nostra families and racketeering cases involving labor unions. 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. Jackson and other justices seemed skeptical of New Yorks argument in the case. We know here that the parties never intended for this to be perpetual, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who grew up in New York. The Waterfront Commission declined to comment. Hochul to bring a new case last year before the Supreme Court. New Jersey, the justices questioned counsel for New York on whether New Jersey could be held to the 1953 Waterfront Commission Compact indefinitely. 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.. 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. In light of current geopolitical uncertainty, the termination of the Waterfront Commission would cause immediate and irreparable harm to New York state, from increased crime to higher prices to employment inequities. Under statutory mandate, the mission of the commission is to investigate, deter, combat and remedy criminal activity and influence in the port district and also ensures fair hiring and employment practices. New Jersey lawmakers say changes in the industry, including the development of container shipping, have lessened the influence of organized crime at the port and reduced the need for the commission. Legislators voted to shut down the Waterfront Commission in 2018, charging that it was over-regulating business at the port in an effort to justify its existence, and hurting the states economic interests. 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. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. That territory includes the ports in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn). After being in limbo for nine months, New York v. New Jerseyalso known as the New York-New Jersey Waterfront Commission casewill soon be litigated in the U.S. Supreme Court, with oral arguments being made beginning February 27, 2023. 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 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. In 2018, then-New Jersey Gov. Colleen Wilson covers the Port Authority and NJ Transit for NorthJersey.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 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. Download. Axelrod). 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. Chris Christie signed the bill into law in his final week in office. Following World War II, national attention was primarily drawn towards the existence of organized crime and its influence down at the docks thanks to The New York Suns Macolm Johnson and his 24-article series, Crime on the Waterfront (which was published in 1948, won a Pulitzer Prize for local reporting in 1949, and inspired the film adaptation, On the Waterfront, that was released in 1954). But the high courts move doesnt end the commission if anything, it may intensify a simmering dispute between New Jersey and New York about the agencys future, adding to other state clashes between the two states over taxes and tolls. 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. The commission, which approves and denies those seeking port jobs like longshoreman, includes representation from both states. Additionally, in 1953, about 20-percent of all exports and imports came through Red Hook, Brooklyn and Chelsea, New York. 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.. Solicitor General, as well some states including Texas, have since sided with New Jersey. 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. 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. 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. Gov. less than a year after New York sued New Jersey, filed court documents in August that sided, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. WCNYH Background Information Questionnaire. 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. Kathy Hochul to sue New Jersey. 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. INTERNAL POSITIONS ONLY. This applies to the appointment of commissioners and the approval of each state of the agencys operating budget. The Supreme Court docket has recorded the arguments being filed by both the defendant and plaintiff since March 2022. New Jersey lawmakers saw things differently, and instead found organized crimes influence had waned. 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 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. Description. Paulin said the same logic New Jersey is using to try to wipe away the Waterfront Commission could be used to make things happen that New Jersey might not like for instance, New Yorks unliteral exit from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. 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. . 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). YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. [2] The commission was initially created to combat unfair hiring practices on the waterfront in response to the growing number of crimes being committed there. 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. 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. 609-984-5828. 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." The agencys two commissioners and executive staff members were swept out and new leadership has since been installed. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Ted Sherman may be reached at [emailprotected]. Indicted in Operation Fistful by Division of Criminal Justice & Waterfront Commission. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. All rights reserved. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The 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. The governor is pleased with the Supreme Courts decision to reject the Waterfront Commissions appeal, the governors spokesperson Michael Zhadanovsky said in a statement Monday. Its staff of 75 includes police officers, auditors, investigators, and lawyers. Phil Murphy issued a statement applauding Feigenbaum and the attorneys for an "outstanding" job making the state's case. Supporters of that plan including the shipping industry and the union representing port workers said the commission now makes doing things unnecessarily cumbersome and plodding. The Waterfront Commission participated in the investigation of criminal activities by the leaders and members of the Gambino crime family and union leaders. The WCNYH has its own police division (a.k.a. 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). Make descriptions so clear that persons unfamiliar with the work can understand exactly what is done.. WebWaterfront Commission of New York Harbor - Police News January 4, 2023 News Header: Warehouseman Application Denied Based on Felony Conviction, Fraud, Deceit Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Jeremy Feigenbaum, the New Jersey solicitor general, argued that the Waterfront Commission has caused "over-regulation of business" and is ill-equipped to oversee modern shipping, which relies largely on containers to send and transfer goods 80% of which land in New Jersey ports, not those in New York. 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 material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. 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 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. Gov. Citizen Inquiries-. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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