A New Jersey state Supreme Court justice wants to know if Gov. Chris Christie’s stance on pension payments amounts to a “bait and switch.”

Justice Barry Albin asked a lawyer for the state government about that view Wednesday during arguments over Christie’s decision to cut this year’s state contribution to public workers’ pension funds.

A lower court judge has ordered the state to pay an additional $1.6 billion for pension funds for the fiscal year that ends June 30. The Supreme Court is considering Christie’s appeal.

During arguments, justices had a lot of questions about the state’s position on a law signed by Christie four years ago that says that employees have a contractual right to funding. A lawyer for the state calls that part of the law “aspirational.”

(AP)