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| Judge in Bridge Case Abruptly Adjourns Court Before Closing Arguments | Judge in Bridge Case Abruptly Adjourns Court Before Closing Arguments |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| NEWARK — The judge presiding over the trial of two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey in the George Washington Bridge lane closing case abruptly sent the jury home and adjourned court on Thursday morning just as lawyers were about to begin their closing arguments. | NEWARK — The judge presiding over the trial of two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey in the George Washington Bridge lane closing case abruptly sent the jury home and adjourned court on Thursday morning just as lawyers were about to begin their closing arguments. |
| The sudden adjournment raised the possibility of a major hiccup at the end of a six-week trial. | The sudden adjournment raised the possibility of a major hiccup at the end of a six-week trial. |
| The judge, Susan D. Wigenton, gave little reason for ending court for the day shortly after 10 a.m., telling the jury that because she had spent so long — about 45 minutes — in a conference discussing a “legal issue” with the lawyers, it would be better to start closing arguments on Friday morning. | |
| But it seemed an unusual explanation, given that Judge Wigenton has moved the trial at a rapid pace, rejecting previous requests from lawyers to end even an hour earlier than usual on the occasional day, and pushing them to continue calling witnesses even when there have been few minutes left in the day’s schedule. | But it seemed an unusual explanation, given that Judge Wigenton has moved the trial at a rapid pace, rejecting previous requests from lawyers to end even an hour earlier than usual on the occasional day, and pushing them to continue calling witnesses even when there have been few minutes left in the day’s schedule. |
| Lawyers on both sides left the federal courthouse here saying they could not comment. But lawyers representing the two former Christie aides, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, looked happier than they had in days. | Lawyers on both sides left the federal courthouse here saying they could not comment. But lawyers representing the two former Christie aides, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, looked happier than they had in days. |
| On Wednesday, defense lawyers had objected to the instructions the judge gave the jury, saying she had fundamentally changed the nature of the charges in the case. | |
| The original indictment charged Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni with misusing the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, to “facilitate and conceal the causing of traffic problems in Fort Lee as punishment” for Mayor Mark J. Sokolich of Fort Lee, N.J., a Democrat, for not endorsing the re-election of Mr. Christie, a Republican. | The original indictment charged Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni with misusing the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, to “facilitate and conceal the causing of traffic problems in Fort Lee as punishment” for Mayor Mark J. Sokolich of Fort Lee, N.J., a Democrat, for not endorsing the re-election of Mr. Christie, a Republican. |
| The instructions to the jury, however, did not include the part about punishment, saying only that jurors had to decide whether the two co-defendants conspired to misuse Port Authority resources — closing the lanes and then using money, employees and time to cover up their suspected crimes. | The instructions to the jury, however, did not include the part about punishment, saying only that jurors had to decide whether the two co-defendants conspired to misuse Port Authority resources — closing the lanes and then using money, employees and time to cover up their suspected crimes. |
| Two access lanes to the bridge were closed with no notice to local officials or the police beginning on the first day of school in September 2013, effectively shutting down Fort Lee and locking school buses, commuters and emergency vehicles in catastrophic traffic jams over several days. | Two access lanes to the bridge were closed with no notice to local officials or the police beginning on the first day of school in September 2013, effectively shutting down Fort Lee and locking school buses, commuters and emergency vehicles in catastrophic traffic jams over several days. |
| Ms. Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, and Mr. Baroni, once the governor’s top appointed official at the Port Authority, have testified that they believed the lanes were closed for a traffic study. They had been told that, they have said, by David Wildstein, a self-described enforcer for Mr. Christie at the agency who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to close the lanes. He is now the chief witness for the government. | Ms. Kelly, a former deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, and Mr. Baroni, once the governor’s top appointed official at the Port Authority, have testified that they believed the lanes were closed for a traffic study. They had been told that, they have said, by David Wildstein, a self-described enforcer for Mr. Christie at the agency who has pleaded guilty to conspiring to close the lanes. He is now the chief witness for the government. |
| Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni have based much of their defense on the argument that they did not know there was any intent to punish Mr. Sokolich. Their lawyers argue that changing the way the conspiracy is defined in the jury instructions essentially lowers the bar for conviction. |