The judge threw out a lawsuit brought by teachers, police officers, firefighters and public workers challenging a law that requires them to pay more for their pensions and health benefits.

More than a third of New Jersey counties and towns are wasting millions of dollars on health insurance brokers and premiums when switching to the state's plan would be cheaper, a new audit has found.

Democrats said lawmakers should be wary of digging the state too big a financial hole, that its obligation to the pension fund will top $2 billion a year by 2016 and $1 billion or so will be needed to fund transportation projects through the Transportation Trust Fund.

A jobs training bill for unemployed residents is unlikely to survive Gov. Chris Christie's veto pen so long as New Jersey's revenue collections continue to sag.

The Christie administration reports that local governments can expect to save $267 million in the 2012 fiscal year because of pension reforms enacted in June.

The AFL-CIO took revenge on New Jersey legislators who supported a pension and health benefits overhaul by voting Thursday not to endorse any lawmaker who supported the deal, including fellow union members and the Legislature's most powerful Democrat.

Senate fails to reverse New Jersey governor's budget vetoes

Partisan bickering over New Jersey's $29.7 billion state budget resumed Tuesday, with fresh charges that Gov. Chris Christie used his veto pen to punish political foes and the governor's office condemning the Senate leader for "inappropriate and disrespectful" comments aimed at Christie.