Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Supreme Court to Chris Christie: You are not emperor

[Laxman]

28. Without Getting Too Much Into Policy....

before I even finish a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning, I believe this Supreme Court decision was exactly what Christie was after. He and his administration purposely caused it. They were deliberately failing to move forward with new acceptable affordable housing rules and policies in an attempt to get to this very point. The constitutional obligation (that's NJ's constitution) still exists with no mechanism to implement it. Now there is something of a free-for-all where Christie's supporters in the building industry (who were his prime supporters in getting him into office in the first place) now have an opening to operate in a manner that will free them of local zoning and planning restrictions. Now they have the opportunity to enlist the Courts-or the threat of litigation- to strong arm municipalities. The results will not be beneficial. Kevin Walsh did gain a victory here by exposing the dilatory tactics of the Christie administration when it comes to affordable housing policy, however it is just another step in Christie's ultimate goal to eliminate planning and regulation from land use policy in a state that desperately needs it. It's a great headline, but not exactly what it appears to be. There is quite a ways to go before this issue is played out, but it isn't exactly what the Star-Ledger has portrayed. This isn't a good thing for NJ for any number of reasons that are way too complex to go into here. This issue may have a happier ending, dependent upon what the next developments are, but based on recent history I'm not too optimistic.