despite the media hype case stalls
Judge: Christie ex-aides Kelly, Stepien can withhold documents in GWB probe
APRIL 9, 2014, 4:02 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2014, 6:41 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Two key figures in the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal do not have to comply with legislative subpoenas demanding that they turn over documents, a judge ruled Wednesday, delivering a setback to lawmakers whose probe linked the closures to the governor’s office earlier this year.
The Mercer County Superior Court judge agreed that Bridget Anne Kelly, Governor Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Stepien, a former campaign manager, were right to assert their Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. A federal criminal investigation into the lane closure is under way.
Judge Mary C. Jacobson described the subpoenas demanding documents related to the lane closures as too broad, one of several issues she identified, while acknowledging the legal complexity of the case forced her into “largely uncharted waters.” But Jacobson appeared to suggest that the legislative panel could re-issue more narrow subpoenas to Kelly and Stepien that might hold up against a legal challenge.