The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments in New Jersey Republican State Committee v. Philip D. Murphy and will decide whether the Appropriations Act and the Debt Limitation Clause of the New Jersey Constitution must be in harmony—or “married”—as the plaintiffs’ attorney contends.

More directly, the court is deciding whether allowing Gov. Phil Murphy to borrow $9.9 billion to plug a massive budget hole created by the novel coronavirus pandemic, since a March 9 state-imposed lockdown shut off many tax revenue streams to fund most government services, falls within the state Constitution’s “emergency” definition.