A bid for an emergency delay by a coalition of about three dozen New Jersey mayors to delay the implementation of New Jersey’s affordable housing law was denied today by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Jr.
This means the law March 15 deadline to determine how high-density housing units are calculated remains in effect.
In October, Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy dismissed a lawsuit filed by the coalition, Local Leaders for Responsible Planning.
The coalition, Local Leaders for Responsible Planning, moved the challenge to federal court, but it was rejected by U.S. District Court Judge Zahid Quraishi in January and, earlier this month, by the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
“I applaud Justice Alito’s decision to once again soundly reject the baseless, politically-motivated attempts to undermine constitutional obligations under Mount Laurel,” said State Sen. Troy Singleton (D-Delran). “These attempts, which would intentionally delay the much-needed creation of affordable housing, have now been rejected eight times at every judicial level, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. No court has accepted their arguments, the stalling, or these last-ditch efforts.”
Joshua Bauers, director of exclusionary zoning litigation at Fair Share Housing Center, said this ” was a far-fetched effort to undermine and delay a law that is already working wonders.
“At every level — state courts, federal district court, the Third Circuit, and now the U.S. Supreme Court — these arguments have been rejected,” Bauers stated.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said Alito’s ruling “ is the latest and most definitive confirmation that New Jersey’s affordable housing law is both legally sound and urgently necessary.”
“Once again, efforts to stall implementation through the courts and undermine our constitutional obligations under Mount Laurel have been soundly rejected at every level of the judiciary. Expanding the supply of affordable housing is essential to keeping our state competitive, and A4 was designed to ensure every community does its fair share so working families, seniors, and young people can find homes they can afford,” said Coughlin. “This law will lead to 100,000 families being able to afford housing, driving down housing costs for everyone over the next decade.”