A former New Jersey prosecutor who alleges members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration quashed a criminal case to protect a political ally faced off Tuesday in appellate court against a state lawyer trying to block access to grand jury records.

In his whistleblower suit, Bennett Barlyn, a former Hunterdon County assistant prosecutor, alleges he was fired for protesting that the decision to drop the charges was based on political cronyism rather than on the merits.