U.S. Supreme Court justices on Wednesday indicated they might rule in favor of New Jersey leaving a bi-state agency with New York created to police ports, stem the influence of organized crime, and vet dockworkers. Phil Murphy has announced that New Jersey will withdraw from the commission in three weeks despite letters from the office of New York Gov. Proponents charged that the agency had over-regulated business in an effort to justify its existence. Others, though, say an even higher stakes battle might be at hand. WebWaterfront Commission of New York Harbor 3.8 out of 5 stars.3.8 4 reviews Write a review Snapshot Why Join Us Jobs 4 Reviews 2 Salaries 3 Q&A Interviews Photos Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor Careers and Employment About the company Company size 51 to 200 Headquarters New York Link Waterfront Given that shipping activity is largely in its state, New Jersey has tried to leave the Waterfront Commission since 2018, when then-Governor Chris Christie signed a bill (which he previously vetoed in 2015) on his last day of office. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. A year later, the New York State Crime Commission identified forms of labor racketeering, extortion, and union corruption, and issued a report with numerous recommendationsincluding the creation of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. In essence they WCNYH Background Information Questionnaire. Phil Murphy reiterated Wednesday that New Jersey would unilaterally leave the bi-state Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, calling it a completely Only a city with such dense neighborhoods and opinionated residents could possibly give rise to so many hyper-local, active resident groups. During arguments at the high court both liberal and conservative justices suggested that the Garden State doesn't need New York's consent to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. The Supreme Court is not trying to get into the goods or bads of the commission, but really the simple legal question of whether New Jersey can unilaterally leave this bi-state compact, said Rivard. The issue, as it stands, is whether the Supreme Court should issue declaratory judgment and/or enjoin New Jersey from withdrawing from its Waterfront Commission Compact with New York, which grants the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor broad regulatory and law-enforcement powers over all operations at the Port of New York and New Jersey. The questionnaires also seemed on some level to be seeking information of just what the commission does and the day-to-day work of its staff. While a federal judge struck down the New Jersey law, ruling that the governor and the state Legislature could not abandon the bi-state agreement, the ruling was overturned by he U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. I guess what Im trying to push back on is that, if the reason they were silent was not because they thought this was in an agreement for all times, but because they were worried about signaling to the mob bosses that they would be leaving, Jackson said. The Waterfront Commission was established in the 1950s to fight corruption and crime at the port of New York and New Jersey. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed legislation withdrawing his state from the compact. As New York admits, there is nothing in the plain text of the compact that expressly limits New Jerseys withdrawal, Feigenbaum said. Rather, the justices were most interested in the sovereign powers of states involved in a bi-state commission, and the minutiae of contract and compact law used to create the commission. In 2018, on his last day in office, New Jersey Gov. The Waterfront Commission participated in the investigation of criminal activities by the leaders and members of the Gambino crime family and union leaders. The Waterfront Commission was formed to weed out organized crime and prevent it from infiltrating commerce and work at the ports in New York and New Jersey. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Wednesday's court appearance came less than a year after New York sued New Jersey over its attempt to exit the commission, a process that began in 2018 when the New Jersey Legislature approved the withdrawal. So, there has been tension over the past couple of decades about whether the Waterfront Commission should still exist in its current form or whether it should exist at all.. The commission has long outlived its original mission and, today, only stands as a roadblock to hiring and operations at our ports. Chris Christie signed the bill into law in his final week in office. But each state, she added, had agreed to give up an element of their sovereign powers in return for the benefits of shared regulation of the waterfront. News Header: Former Checker Barred From Returning to Waterfront Following Jeremy Feigenbaum, a lawyer for New Jersey, argued before the court that the 1953 agreement to create the commission had no language preventing one state from deciding to leave. Judith Vale, New York's deputy solicitor general, tried to convince the court that New Jersey's departure from the 70-year-old commission would "upset and destabilize" the region. New York has yet to take a position in the matter. 609-292-4791. The U.S. The Waterfront Commission had sued to stop New Jersey from abandoning the agreement that established it decades ago, a move that would have effectively killed it. Phil Murphy wants to use the State Police take up the responsibilities of the commission, including the vetting and licensing of dockworkers. The Justice Department filed court documents in August that sided with New Jersey and argued that leaving the commission would allow the state to "exercise its full sovereign authority." The Waterfront Commission sued New Jersey over the law but its case was tossed when a federal appeals court ruled in 2021 that only New York could sue to stop the Garden States withdrawal. The commission immediately went to federal court seeking an injunction against the state and Gov. Peter Aseltine. WebCertified Police Officer - Detective. We know here that the parties never intended for this to be perpetual, said Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who grew up in New York. That territory includes the ports in Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn). Phil Murphy at Port Newark in December. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Phil Murphy said he is "thrilled" about the brief and is confident this will bolster the Garden State's case that it can withdraw from the bistate commission without consent from New York, according to a statement released Monday. Isnt that an extraordinary thing? he asked. Isnt it a kind of weird thing to think that any state gives up its sovereignty forever?. Former New Jersey state Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat who had been the biggest champion of New Jerseys exit from the bi-state agreement, said the Waterfront Commission isnt needed because it was created to solve a problem that it has largely solved. The agencys two commissioners and executive staff members were swept out and new leadership has since been installed. On December 8, 2020, the Waterfront Commission attorneys filed their petition for a Writ of Certiorari in the Supreme Court. Judith Vale, representing New York, argued that the agreements silence on unilateral withdrawal made the opposite point. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our. Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. The commission is authorized to deny or revoke the registration or licenses of those who involve themselves in criminal activity. Since then, however, New Jerseys efforts to leave have been the focus of a series of a legal fights initially launched by the commission itself, and then by New York Gov. Indicted in Operation Fistful by Division of Criminal Justice & Waterfront Commission. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). New Jersey Solicitor General Jeremy Feigenbaum, arguing the case for New Jersey in Washington on Wednesday, said there was nothing in the plain text of the compact that prohibited the state from leaving the Waterfront Commission. For New Jersey, despite Murphys public statements over whether the Waterfront Commission has outlived its time, the issue for the state remained one of a states sovereign power. Upon assuming the position, current Governor Phil Murphywho previously promised members of the International Longshoremens Association that he would, as he declared in his campaign speech before the 2017 election, figure out the damn Waterfront Commission once and for allwas faced with a lawsuit on his first day of office. Paulins letter to Hochul seems to question the polices readiness by noting the commissions decades of institutional knowledge that cannot be replaced by another agency.. In 1950, the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Crime in Interstate Commerce was created to investigate crime, particularly in the shipping industry, as Senate hearings became increasingly covered by newspapers as well as shown in local theaters to the public. But its enforcement efforts in recent years led to mounting political pressure in Trenton, with the New York Shipping Association and International Longshoremens Association arguing that the commission had long overstepped its authority. [5] The Police Division utilizes numerous vehicles in its vehicle fleet, including marked police cars and trucks. Some bi-state agencies outlive their usefulness, and this is one of them, Murphy said. Gov. Murphy, following the oral arguments, said he was optimistic that New Jersey would prevail in the case and will finally be allowed to reclaim authority over its ports with a regulatory structure more suited for the 21st century.. But during Wednesday's arguments, there was little reference made to mafia crime families and whether they would make inroads back to the ports should the Waterfront Commission be dissolved. Division of Licensing and Employment Information Centers, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, "N.J. officials take a step back in controversial port fight", "Waterfront Commission disputes lawsuit by union and shippers charging hiring interference", "Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor - Police", "Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor (WCNYH)", "Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor Police Vehicles, Pier 88, New York City", "Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor Police Command Center, OpSail and Fleet Week 2012, New York City", "Waterfront Commission Police Boat, New York-New Jersey", "A business card from Detective David Bistacco from the Waterfront Commission and a @NYCPBA "courtesy card" are hard", "Corruption Found at Waterfront Watchdog", "Bill to dissolve Waterfront Commission approved by N.J. Senate panel", "Christie acts on bill to dissolve the Waterfront Commission", "Chris Christie's final acts: Bills he made law and killed, from drones to circus animals", "U.S. Supreme Court blocks New Jersey's exit from Waterfront Commission", "U.S. Supreme Court Stops Efforts to End NY/NJ Waterfront Commission", Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department (MTAPD), Roosevelt Island Department of Public Safety, Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor Police, City University of New York Public Safety Department, Department of Environmental Protection Police, Department of Health and Hospitals Police, Department of Citywide Administrative Services Police, New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, New York Racing Association Law Enforcement and Safety Division, Spring Creek Towers Department of Public Safety (Starrett City), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Waterfront_Commission_of_New_York_Harbor&oldid=1123553406, Specialist police departments of New York (state), Specialist police departments of New Jersey, Law enforcement agencies of New York City, Pages using law enforcement agency with local civilian police general nature, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 November 2022, at 10:14. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed New Jersey a victory in its effort to abolish the 70-year-old Waterfront Commission, declining to intervene for now The Supreme Court appears willing to let New Jersey unilaterally exit the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, a bistate police agency created to crack New York then entered the conversation, arguing that workers move back and forth between the two states ports and that it makes sense to keep the current compact intact. Whatever kinds of regulations, of course, that wed have today would have to reflect the kind of new reality of labor and commerce on the ports, which are significantly different from the 1950s, said Peter Catapano, history professor at City Tech, on Dec. 9 during the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Centers breakfast talk webinar, titled What is the New York-New Jersey Waterfront CommissionAnd Do We Still Need It? The three-person panel discussed, in part, the origins of the Waterfront Commission, its legacy, and the debate over whether the Commission should continue. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The WCNYH has its own police division (a.k.a. filed to the Supreme Court through November, A look inside the negotiations to split federal transit funds, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. She noted the bistate agreements silence on the matter of whether the states intended for this to continue forever, or that they would jointly agree to leave, but that one couldnt decide Im done and out. . Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The language of the compact creating the commission does not specifically address whether either state can decide on its own to withdraw. Employees were specifically asked: Describe in detail the work required of this position. Vale responded that commerce from the joint ports of New York Harbor remained a huge driver of the states economy and that New York itself still has sovereign interests in the marine terminals operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey located in New Jersey. Jackson and other justices seemed skeptical of New Yorks argument in the case. Whether a New York-New Jersey mob-busting law enforcement agency should sleep with the fishes was the subject of arguments Wednesday before the U.S. Supreme Court. New York sued New Jersey in March over its withdrawal efforts, arguing that the two states would have to agree to the commission's disbanding, and said the work of the commission is not over, with organized crime still seeking to "exert influence" over port operations. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Justice Amy Coney Barrett told Vale that it seems very odd that New York wants to hang on to the commission when the majority of the port's business goes through its New Jersey side. The Waterfront Commission itself was granted permission to file an amicus brief with the court, in support of New Yorks motion to stop New Jersey from killing the agency. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision, which now stands, found that the commission doesnt have standing to sue New Jersey. The Waterfront Commission was created in response to the significant influence of organized crime at the ports during the 20th century including having power over the International Longshoremen's Association, the union that hires workers at the ports and the prevalence of criminal behavior at the docks, such as cargo theft, gambling and loansharking. Container ships are docked at the Port of New York and New Jersey in Elizabeth, N.J. New York sued New Jersey over the Garden States unilateral effort to shut down the bistate agency, reports in which they claim to work more hours than there are in a week, handing over law enforcement operations on the New Jersey side of the port to the New Jersey State Police, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. At the time the commission was created, about 70 percent of the port's business came through the New York side of the port. Identification includes the WCPD patch on both sides of the upper garments and a WCPD shield (badge) on the left breast. Last month, the Office of the Solicitor General in its own brief concluded the commission did not have the authority to file a petition seeking to overturn efforts by the New Jersey Legislature to withdraw from its interstate agreement. Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. 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