A judge ruled against a call to have a special prosecutor investigate Christie.
TRENTON -- A state Superior Court judge on Friday denied a request for a special prosecutor to be appointed in a criminal misconduct complaint against Gov. Chris Christie for his alleged role in the Bridgegate scandal.
The ruling by Judge Bonnie Mizdol, who heard oral arguments in her Hackensack courtroom on Wednesday, means the complaint will be handled by state prosecutors, not an appointed independent one.
In an order released Friday morning, Midzol cited a "lack of standing."
Judge to rule on special prosecutor in Christie complaint
The complaint by former firefighter and activist Bill Brennan of Wayne alleges that Christie knew of the now-infamous scheme, in which former aides and allies were convicted of conspiring to cause gridlock in the small Bergen County town to retaliate against its mayor for refusing to endorse the governor.
During oral arguments, Brennan likened the state's attorney general's office prosecuting the case against Christie to a "master-servant" relationship. He said that even though state Attorney General Christopher Porrino and the the Bergen County prosecutor recused themselves, they still have conflicts of interests if their subordinates are in charge of the prosecution.
"I don't think there's any more clear example of a conflict," Brennan argued on Wednesday.
"Christopher Porrino is conflicted," he said. "The people he dedicated to prosecute this case serve at his pleasure."
He added: "The conflict is real and palpable."
But Christie's attorney Craig Carpenito argued Brennan is seeking the limelight and has been in pursuit of a frivolous civilian complaint.
"Mr. Brennan is trying to revive this, quite frankly, for his own ... interest," Carpenito said.
The judge sided with opponents of the special prosecutor.
In her ruling, Midzol, citing state law, said "a private complainant may not act as a prosecuting attorney ... (and that) the prosecuting attorney is defined as the attorney general, the municipal attorney or the county prosecutor."
She continued: "Individual citizens cannot appropriate to themselves the law enforcement function. It is the responsibility of the prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crimes."
Christie, who was never criminally charged in the federal Bridgegate case, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and, through a spokesman, has called the citizen complaint "dishonorable."
Last month, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, and his top appointee to the Port Authority, Bill Baroni, were both found guilty on nine charges for their roles in the Bridgegate scandal.
The admitted mastermind of the scheme, David Wildstein, pleaded guilty to federal crimes and testified against Baroni and Kelly.
Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or on Facebook.