TRENTON – Senator Troy Singleton (D-Burlington), Chair of the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee and author of New Jersey’s landmark affordable housing law, issued the following statement today praising the decision of the United States Supreme Court to deny efforts to delay the implementation, execution, and enforcement of constitutional affordable housing obligations under the Mount Laurel Doctrine pursuant to S-50:

“I applaud the Justice Alito’s decision to once again soundly reject the baseless, politically-motivated attempts to undermine constitutional obligations under Mount Laurel. These attempts, which would intentionally delay the much-needed creation of affordable housing, have now been rejected eight times at every judicial level, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. No court has accepted their arguments, the stalling, or these last-ditch efforts.

“S-50 was crafted with input from all relevant parties in a respectful effort to work with municipalities and give them the tools and support they need to fulfill their affordable housing obligations. A vast majority of towns have participated in the process and accepted their reasonable obligations – far more than at any other point in the past five decades of Mount Laurel. Those who challenged their obligations have done so constructively under the law.

“The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision will help ensure that this round of Mount Laurel continues smoothly and successfully. I remain disappointed that a small number of municipalities have opted to repeatedly and frivolously waste taxpayer dollars on lawsuits rather than meet their obligations under the law. I hope that this decision can be a turning point for these municipalities, and I urge the mayors of these towns to finally join their peers in constructively engaging in the housing process.”