THE US Supreme Court ruled that new Jersey can withdraw from the Waterfront Commission Compact it had with New York crime-fighting in the port they both share, reports NBC News.
All nine of the Supreme Court's justices voted in favour of the ruling, which dismissed New York arguments to force New Jersey to stay in the compact.
The Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey can unilaterally withdraw from the longstanding Waterfront Commission Compact it has with New York to police corruption in the port the two states share.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the nine-page majority opinion in the case, which is a victory for container shipping companies and the International Longshoreman's Association (ILA), the union that represents the dockers.
The ruling hinged on the fact that the Waterfront Commission Compact does not explicitly bar either state from exiting the agreement.
The two-member Waterfront Commission was created in 1953 by New York and New Jersey to address labour corruption in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The entity oversees mandatory employment licensing for waterfront workers and conducts law enforcement probes in the port.
New Jersey sought to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission in 2018, arguing that the compact had outlived its usefulness because organised crime no longer controlled hiring on the docks.
New York opposed New Jersey's bid to exit the compact, arguing that would harm efforts to fight crime on the docks.
New York claimed that the agreement 'does not allow either state to unilaterally withdraw,' Justice Kavanaugh noted in his opinion. However, he added, while the compact explicitly says that both states must agree on making any amendments or supplements, it 'does not address each state's power to unilaterally withdraw.'
SeaNews Turkey
All nine of the Supreme Court's justices voted in favour of the ruling, which dismissed New York arguments to force New Jersey to stay in the compact.
The Supreme Court ruled that New Jersey can unilaterally withdraw from the longstanding Waterfront Commission Compact it has with New York to police corruption in the port the two states share.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the nine-page majority opinion in the case, which is a victory for container shipping companies and the International Longshoreman's Association (ILA), the union that represents the dockers.
The ruling hinged on the fact that the Waterfront Commission Compact does not explicitly bar either state from exiting the agreement.
The two-member Waterfront Commission was created in 1953 by New York and New Jersey to address labour corruption in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The entity oversees mandatory employment licensing for waterfront workers and conducts law enforcement probes in the port.
New Jersey sought to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission in 2018, arguing that the compact had outlived its usefulness because organised crime no longer controlled hiring on the docks.
New York opposed New Jersey's bid to exit the compact, arguing that would harm efforts to fight crime on the docks.
New York claimed that the agreement 'does not allow either state to unilaterally withdraw,' Justice Kavanaugh noted in his opinion. However, he added, while the compact explicitly says that both states must agree on making any amendments or supplements, it 'does not address each state's power to unilaterally withdraw.'
SeaNews Turkey