Superior Court judge rules against effort to shutdown EDA task force

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A superior court judge ruled against a legal challenge to shut down Gov. Phil Murphy’s task force on the state Economic Development Authority’s corporate tax breaks, prompting the release of the EDA’s report scrutinizing the incentive program.

On Monday, Mercer County Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson ruled the findings could be released and the task force can continue its scrutiny of the program.

The move came after nearly seven hours of deliberation and oral arguments by attorneys representing political powerbroker George Norcross and several businesses close to him, who filed several legal challenges to have the task shut down, arguing Murphy overstepped his legal authority by creating the task force which has scrutinized how the South Jersey power broker may have benefited from the program.

Jacobson disagreed in her ruling, as did the Murphy administration attorney Ted Wells.