Skip to main content
MENU
Subscribe
  • Login
  • My Account
  • Logout
  • Register For Free
  • Subscribe
  • Topics
    • Alternatives
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • CIOs
    • Consultants
    • Defined Contribution
    • ESG
    • Face to Face
    • Hedge Funds
    • Industry Voices
    • Investing
    • Money Management
    • Partner Content
    • Private Credit
    • Pension Funds
    • Private Equity
    • Real Estate
    • Regulation
    • Special Reports
    • Washington
    • White Papers
  • International
    • U.K.
    • Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Australia - New Zealand
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
    • Africa
  • Rankings & Awards
    • 1,000 Largest Retirement Plans
    • Top-Performing Managers
    • Largest Money Managers
    • DC Money Managers
    • DC Record Keepers
    • Largest Hedge Fund Managers
    • World's Largest Retirement Funds
    • Best Places to Work in Money Management
    • Excellence & Innovation Awards
    • WPS Innovation Awards
    • Influential Women in Institutional Investing 2024
    • Eddy Awards
  • Resource Guides
    • Active Thematic Global Equities
    • Retirement Income
    • Fixed Income
    • Pension Risk Transfer
    • Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs)
  • ETFs
    • Latest ETF News
    • Fund Screener
    • Education Center
    • Equities
    • Fixed Income
    • Commodities
    • Actively Managed
    • Alternatives
    • ESG Rated
  • ESG
    • Latest ESG News
    • The Institutional Investor’s Guide to ESG Investing
    • ESG Sustainability - Gaining Momentum
    • ESG Investing | Industry Brief
    • Innovation in ESG Investing
    • ESG Rated ETFs
    • Divestment Database
  • Defined Contribution
    • Latest DC News
    • The Plan Sponsor's Guide to Retirement Income
    • DC Money Manager Rankings
    • DC Record Keeper Rankings
    • Innovations in DC
    • DC Plan Design: Improving Participant Outcomes
  • Searches & Hires
    • Latest Searches & Hires News
    • Searches & Hires Database
    • RFPs
  • Research Center
    • The P&I Research Center
    • Earnings Tracker
    • Endowment Returns Tracker
    • Corporate Pension Contribution Tracker
    • Pension Fund Returns Tracker
    • Pension Risk Transfer Database
  • Careers
  • Events
    • View All Conferences
    • View All Webinars
  • Print
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. COURTS
February 24, 2015 12:00 AM

N.J. governor's budgeted pension contribution less than half of amount promised

Proposal comes 1 day after judge orders $1.6 billion payment for current fiscal year

Rob Kozlowski
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Bloomberg
    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie proposed a fiscal year 2016 budget Tuesday that cuts a promised pension payment by more than half a day after a judge ruled he must contribute an additional $1.6 billion to the pension fund for the 2015 fiscal year after Mr. Christie initially withheld that payment.

    Mr. Christie's 2016 spending plan includes a $1.3 billion pension payment, the largest in state history. That contribution, though, falls short of the $3.1 billion it was scheduled to pay into the underfunded system. Christie called for more worker givebacks, and said he's working with unions on an agreement.

    On Monday, a New Jersey Superior Court judge ruled in favor of plaintiffs in a consolidated lawsuit against the state of New Jersey and Mr. Christie trying to prevent the governor from withholding state payments to the $76.8 billion New Jersey Pension Fund, Trenton, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.

    The original lawsuits by more than a dozen unions were announced in May, and were intended to prevent Mr. Christie from cutting the state's payment for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2014, and June 30, 2015.

    That same month, he proposed cutting the state contribution for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, to $681 million from the promised $2.25 billion.

    The court had upheld Mr. Christie's decision to cut the payment for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2014, to $696 million from the promised $1.58 billion as within the emergency powers of the executive branch, in order to cover a budget deficit.

    However, in Monday's ruling, state Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided with the unions, saying Mr. Christie broke state law by withholding $1.6 billion from the retirement system this year.

    “The court cannot allow the state to simply turn its back on its obligations to New Jersey's public employees,” the ruling said, “especially in light of the fact that the state's failure to make its full payment constitutes a substantial blow to the solvency of the pension funds in violation of plaintiffs' constitutional rights, and due to the fact that the terms of the (unfunded liability) payments were set forth — and even publicly endorsed — by the governor himself. In short, the court cannot allow the state to 'simply walk away from its financial obligations,' especially when those obligations were the state's own creation.”

    Craig S. Gumpel, attorney for one of the plaintiffs, New Jersey State Firefighters' Mutual Benevolent Association, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment, and officials in Mr. Christie's office could not immediately be reached.

    Bloomberg contributed to this story.

    Related Articles
    New Jersey committee recommends freezing state pension fund, creating cash bala…
    New Jersey chooses 12 managers for emerging markets, international small-cap eq…
    New Jersey commits $250 million to 2 managers, will review pay-for-play rules
    N.J. Education Association breaks off talks with Christie pension fund commissi…
    New Jersey Division of Investment seeks public equities portfolio manager
    New Jersey high court backs Gov. Christie in pension fight
    N.J. panel eyes health reforms to boost pension contributions
    Recommended for You
    Finger hovers over a Intuit TurboTax logo on a smartphone screen.
    Intuit to pay $2 million to settle suit alleging it misused forfeited funds in 401(k) plan
    gavel court justice books 750_i.jpg
    Kaiser Foundation Health Plan wins dismissal of lawsuit over forfeited 401(k) funds
    Outside of Supreme Court building.
    Supreme Court asks for more information about dispute over benchmarks in retirement plan lawsuits
    Sponsored
    White Papers
    The State of Lifetime Income Report
    The Next Wave of LDI Evolution
    Retirement security to future income wins, TIAA brings you the latest financial…
    U.S. Public Funds Top Performers: Q2 2024
    Generative AI Investing: Opportunities at a Key Tech Inflection Point
    Research for Institutional Money Management: Advancing Physical Risk Modelling,…
    View More
    Sponsored Content
    Partner Content
    The Industrialization of ESG Investment
    For institutional investors, ETFs can make meeting liquidity needs easier
    Gold: the most effective commodity investment
    2021 Investment Outlook | Investing Beyond the Pandemic: A Reset for Portfolios
    Ten ways retirement plan professionals add value to plan sponsors
    Gold: an efficient hedge
    View More
    E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS

    Sign up and get the best of News delivered straight to your email inbox, free of charge. Choose your news – we will deliver.

    Subscribe Today
    October 23, 2023 page one

    Get access to the news, research and analysis of events affecting the retirement and institutional money management businesses from a worldwide network of reporters and editors.

    Subscribe
    Connect With Us
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • LinkedIn

    Our Mission

    To consistently deliver news, research and analysis to the executives who manage the flow of funds in the institutional investment market.

    About Us

    Main Office
    685 Third Avenue
    Tenth Floor
    New York, NY 10017-4036

    Chicago Office
    130 E. Randolph St.
    Suite 3200
    Chicago, IL 60601

    Contact Us

    Careers at Crain

    About Pensions & Investments

     

    Advertising
    • Media Kit
    • P&I Custom Content
    • P&I Careers | Post a Job
    • Reprints & Permissions
    Resources
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • FAQ
    • P&I Research Center
    • Site map
    • Staff Directory
    Legal
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Request
    Pensions & Investments
    Copyright © 1996-2025. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • Topics
      • Alternatives
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • CIOs
      • Consultants
      • Defined Contribution
      • ESG
      • Face to Face
      • Hedge Funds
      • Industry Voices
      • Investing
      • Money Management
      • Partner Content
      • Private Credit
      • Pension Funds
      • Private Equity
      • Real Estate
      • Regulation
      • Special Reports
      • Washington
      • White Papers
    • International
      • U.K.
      • Canada
      • Europe
      • Asia
      • Australia - New Zealand
      • Middle East
      • Latin America
      • Africa
    • Rankings & Awards
      • 1,000 Largest Retirement Plans
      • Top-Performing Managers
      • Largest Money Managers
      • DC Money Managers
      • DC Record Keepers
      • Largest Hedge Fund Managers
      • World's Largest Retirement Funds
      • Best Places to Work in Money Management
      • Excellence & Innovation Awards
      • WPS Innovation Awards
      • Influential Women in Institutional Investing 2024
      • Eddy Awards
    • Resource Guides
      • Active Thematic Global Equities
      • Retirement Income
      • Fixed Income
      • Pension Risk Transfer
      • Pooled Employer Plans (PEPs)
    • ETFs
      • Latest ETF News
      • Fund Screener
      • Education Center
      • Equities
      • Fixed Income
      • Commodities
      • Actively Managed
      • Alternatives
      • ESG Rated
    • ESG
      • Latest ESG News
      • The Institutional Investor’s Guide to ESG Investing
      • ESG Sustainability - Gaining Momentum
      • ESG Investing | Industry Brief
      • Innovation in ESG Investing
      • ESG Rated ETFs
      • Divestment Database
    • Defined Contribution
      • Latest DC News
      • The Plan Sponsor's Guide to Retirement Income
      • DC Money Manager Rankings
      • DC Record Keeper Rankings
      • Innovations in DC
      • DC Plan Design: Improving Participant Outcomes
    • Searches & Hires
      • Latest Searches & Hires News
      • Searches & Hires Database
      • RFPs
    • Research Center
      • The P&I Research Center
      • Earnings Tracker
      • Endowment Returns Tracker
      • Corporate Pension Contribution Tracker
      • Pension Fund Returns Tracker
      • Pension Risk Transfer Database
    • Careers
    • Events
      • View All Conferences
      • View All Webinars
    • Print