A court ruling is due in the case of a former assistant county prosecutor who claims his 2010 firing was politically motivated.
Bennett Barlyn is suing the state over his firing from the Hunterdon County prosecutor's office. Barlyn claims he was fired after he complained about the dropping of a 43-count indictment against then-Hunterdon County sheriff Deborah Trout and two subordinates.
In his lawsuit Barlyn claims the attorney general's office took over the case and dropped the indictment because of political pressure, possibly from as high up as Gov. Chris Christie.
Christie has denied any involvement.
Wednesday's ruling will determine whether Barlyn can have access to grand jury transcripts from the Trout case. The state has fought to keep the materials secret.
