But Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni will have hope.
That’s because the trial to determine who ordered access lanes closed at the George Washington Bridge, which promises to be the highest-profile trial in the state in years, presents some thorny challenges for prosecutors, even by the idiosyncratic standards of public corruption cases.
Kelly, Governor Christie’s former deputy chief of staff, and Baroni, Christie’s top executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, are accused of conspiring to close two of three access lanes from Fort Lee to the world’s busiest bridge over five mornings in September 2013. The closures coincided with the first week back to school, causing gridlock that wreaked havoc for commuters, school buses and first responders.
The George Washington Bridge is one of the agency’s most lucrative assets, generating revenues of $739 million last year.
Baroni, the agency’s deputy executive director, and others at the Port Authority initially said that the lane closures were conducted as part of a traffic study. But prosecutors allege that the study was a cover story to hide the true motive, which was to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, for not endorsing Christie, a Republican, during his 2013 reelection campaign.
Jury selection begins on Thursday with opening statements set for Sept. 19.
