The New Jersey Department of Transportation has reconsidered its ejection of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign from eight citizen advisory committees and groups after reports in the Asbury Park Press, Courier News and New York Times focused public attention to the action. However, the Campaign is still banned from speaking directly to DOT staff and must make all information requests through DOT counsel, an order that affects day-to-day functioning at the watchdog group.Lawyers for the DOT had issued the order in response to a lawsuit filed by the Campaign and other groups that argues the Department is in violation of the Transportation Trust Fund Renewal Law.

Many observers found the DOT response to the lawsuit extreme. Curtis Fischer, Executive Director of New Jersey Public Interest Research Group, a party in the lawsuit not subject to the order, told the Courier News, “We’ve been involved in litigation for over 25 years and never had something like this done to us by the state. When you file litigation, there are rules, but to say you can’t have a conversation on any matter is ridiculous.”

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