CBS News New York reports, the legal muddle over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ability to start collecting congestion pricing tolls this Sunday, January 5, could be resolved in federal court tomorrow. That’s when US District Court Judge Leo Gordon is scheduled to hold a hearing on an eleventh-hour motion for a temporary restraining order filed by lawyers for New Jersey.
On Monday, Judge Gordon issued an opinion that denied New Jersey’s request for a preliminary injunction based on alleged defects in the program’s environmental approval. However, he also directed New York and federal officials to elaborate on some aspects of the program’s impact on New Jersey communities. Both MTA and New Jersey “declared victory, with the MTA saying it was planning on going forward Sunday morning. But New Jersey lawmakers read the ruling differently. [Tomorrow’s] hearing is to clear up the confusion.”
The New York Times filed separate reports on Judge Gordon’s Monday ruling and New Jersey’s last-ditch, New Year’s Eve attempt to block the start of tolling.