Gov. Chris Christie’s most recent attack on the judiciary is even more troubling than his past ones, not just because it was a conscious effort to intimidate a co-equal branch of government, but because it was laced with distorted demagoguery. The governor knows better.
The governor went after Mercer County Assignment Judge Linda Feinberg with a vengeance for her decision that the recent changes requiring judges to contribute more to their health and pension benefits along with all other state employees violated the state constitution’s prohibition against reductions in judicial salary during their term of appointment. The decision is subject to debate and we understand why many people who are doing much less well these days might resent the protection the constitution gives to judges. But there is no justification for the governor’s attack on the personal integrity of Judge Feinberg and the judiciary as a whole.
