Good Friday morning!

The budget mess is not over. Late Wednesday night, the legislature’s budget committees brought government opacity to new heights by approving the budget without actually having the document ready and without allowing public testimony.

Today, they plan to pass a budget with technical flaws, which Democrats are blaming on the Office of Legislative Services [OLS]. And it looks like they’re going to have to return later on to fix it.

But even if OLS messed up big time, you can’t blame them for pushing this process to the very last minute. That was ultimately the decision of Democratic leadership.

We’ll see what happens with the budget vote today. You’ve seen me use this space to complain about declining government transparency. Still, I never imagined that lawmakers would approve a budget without making the actual document available, taking public testimony, and using flawed score sheets. The only way I see this changing is if it meets with strong public backlash, and issues like government transparency just don’t seem to bring out the kind of anger in people that the culture wars do. People love to complain about their governments, but try getting them to pay attention to how they really work.

Sorry I didn’t get more into this in yesterday’s edition. Even though the budget committees just made their own deadline, they basically blew mine.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We’ve seen a full budget document and accuracy is in the eye of the beholder.” — Senate President Nick Scutari during a Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee hearing late Tuesday night.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Troy Singleton, Phil Alagia, Paul Anzano, Warren Cooper, Gina LaPlaca, Jeanine Frisby LaRue. Sunday for Greg McGuckin, Ayana Alfaro, Amol Sinha, Charles Stile, Frank Luna, Ed Potosnak, Julie Diaz, David Smith, Theo Siggelakis. Monday for Shirley Turner, Bob Gordon. Tuesday for Bob Auth, Annette Quijano, Matt Katz, Ed Oatman, America, Mike Assad, Geoffrey Borshof, Justin Rodriguez

WHERE’S MURPHY? — In Trenton to sign the budget, time to be determined.

PROGRAMMING NOTE — There will be no New Jersey Playbook on Monday and Tuesday because America. I’ll be back in your inbox Wednesday.

PENNED CADDLE — ‘He’s a cold-hearted killer': New Jersey Democratic operative gets 24 years in murder-for-hire plot, by POLITICO’s Matt Friedman: Sean Caddle, a former Democratic political operative who hired hitmen to kill his friend and former employee, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 24 years in prison. “This is one of the most unusual and certainly one of the most heinous crimes I’ve encountered as a judge,” U.S. District Court Judge John Michael Vazquez said before delivering his sentence, which far exceeded the requests of both prosecutors and Caddle’s attorneys. The sentencing draws to a close one of the more shocking and bewildering recent New Jersey political scandals. It had elements of intrigue — murder, politics and government cooperation — that led to months of speculation in political circles. Prosecutors had requested 15 years in prison for Caddle, who pleaded guilty to murder for hire, due to his cooperation with them on numerous investigations. Caddle’s attorneys had asked for a nine-year sentence … Vazquez further called Caddle’s crime “depraved, debased and vile” and remanded him to federal custody despite Caddle’s request to turn himself in at a later date.

Prosecutors acknowledged that Caddle cooperated with other investigations but did not go into specifics. Caddle held seven in-person meetings with FBI agents; had many more phone calls with investigators; turned over documents and recordings of conversations with unnamed people made prior to being contacted by authorities; and later recorded conversations at investigators’ behest, prosecutors said. They did not say whether the investigations bore any fruit, but Vazquez later said “the government determined it was not actionable.”

R.I.P. — “Bill Layton, GOP leader and lobbyist, dies at 55,” by New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein: “William F. Layton, Jr., a hugely respected Trenton lobbyist and influential political insider who spent twelve years as the Burlington County Republican Chairman, died this morning after a long battle with cancer. He was 55. He was a founding member of CLB Partners, which rose to become one of the state’s largest public affairs firms in New Jersey. He was an expert on gaming and licensing issues. ‘Bill was larger than life and someone you always wanted to be around. He was a tireless champion for his clients, and you knew that when he was in your corner you were on a path to success,’ said Jon R. Bombardieri, his longtime business partner. ‘His passing will be felt by all the people and groups he helped quietly and without any fanfare. Losing Bill is not only a tremendous loss for our firm, but personally, I will greatly miss my friend.’”

MURPHY: PASS IT OR-ELSE-STED — Murphy wants wind bill before lawmakers’ summer break, by POLITICO’s Ry Rivard: Before New Jersey lawmakers head home for the summer, Gov. Phil Murphy wants a bill on his desk to save the state’s first offshore wind farm. To administration officials, the bill is about more than just saving energy company Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project off the South Jersey coast to generate power for 500,000 homes — it’s about saving the state’s once-in-a-generation chance to host a massive new industry. Without a bill to help Orsted, Murphy officials fear the project will not be built … The passage of the bill “is foundational to New Jersey’s continued offshore wind growth and clean energy future,” Murphy spokesperson Bailey Lawrence said in a statement to POLITICO

DEVELOPER’S DELIGHT — “Lawmakers advance tweaks to tax incentive program,” by New Jersey Monitor’s Nikita Biryukov: “New Jersey lawmakers are preparing an expansion of a $14 billion state tax incentive program, saying that after years of rapid inflation, its rules are too restrictive and the awards it granted have been too low. Budget committees in the Senate and Assembly this week approved an overhaul of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority program known as Aspire, which is meant to help fund real estate development that would otherwise be financially unfeasible … The bill would drastically increase caps on tax incentive awards, with the largest increases coming to developers seeking awards in Paterson, Trenton, and Atlantic City, the three New Jersey cities that meet the program’s highest bar for municipal distress. The updated incentives program would cover up to 80% of developers’ costs in those municipalities, up from 50%, and the bill would increase the maximum award size for projects in those three cities — called government-restricted municipalities — from $60 million to $120 million.”

THE SALEM COUNTY WITCHER TRIALS — “Judge sues N.J. judiciary claiming he faced retaliation for alleging court bias,” by Matt Gray for NJ.com: “A municipal court judge who claimed Latino defendants were discriminated against in one of his courtrooms and that he faced retaliation for raising the issue has filed a lawsuit against the state judiciary. Judge Jason Witcher accused the Administrative Office of the Courts of threatening him with removal from the bench and refusing to make accommodations for a medical condition, according to the suit filed last week in state Superior Court. Witcher, who plans to retire in a month, went public last year with his belief that Latino defendants in Millville Municipal Court were not given the opportunity to appear virtually as other defendants were, and instead had to show up in person for their hearings.”

IF YOU WANT TO SEE MY DOG AND CAT PHOTOS SO BADLY, JUST ASK —“Cops need wiretap to snoop on your Facebook account, N.J. Supreme Court rules,” by NJ Advance Media’s S.P. Sullivan: “New Jersey’s highest court on Thursday rebuked an effort by police in two cases to snoop on Facebook pages for crime suspects without getting a wiretap order in a ruling that sides with the tech giant in a case closely watched by privacy advocates. In an unanimous decision, the state Supreme Court found the nearly real-time surveillance of a person’s social media was the ‘functional equivalent’ of tapping their phone. The communication data warrants investigators had been using to force Facebook to hand over the keys to users’ pagers did not meet the ‘heightened’ privacy rules such an intrusion requires, the court ruled.”

—“Del Borrello wants Norcross to be a campaign issue”

—“‘Like Hell': NJ prison cells lack air conditioning, leave inmates and guards sweltering”

—“N.J.’s top cop visits Jersey Shore to inspect boardwalk games — and play some balloon darts”

PRINCETON TO END LEGACY ADMISSIONS. LOL JUST KIDDING — “Rutgers, Princeton vow to keep up diversity push despite affirmative action ruling,” by The Record’s Ricardo Kaulessar and Mary Ann Koruth: “New Jersey’s most prominent colleges vowed to continue their efforts to build diversity on campus Thursday, despite a landmark Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. ‘Princeton has been preparing for this possibility with assistance and advice from legal counsel,’ the Ivy League school’s president, Christopher Eisgruber, said in a statement after the ruling was handed down in Washington. ‘While today’s decision will make our work more difficult, we will work vigorously to preserve—and, indeed, grow—the diversity of our community while fully respecting the law as announced today.’ The ruling also had its supporters. Kenny Xu, a former Princeton resident and activist who said affirmative-action policies discriminate against Asian Americans, was exultant after the news.”

—“N.J. leaders respond to the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action”

— Read the Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action

JERSEY CLUB — “It’s not just Mar-a-Lago: Trump charges highlight his New Jersey life,” by The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Spencer S. Hsu: “Trump’s behavior in New Jersey is yet another data point showing that the former president did not simply stash the boxes of sensitive documents, unopened and untouched, in the basement of his Florida club and forget about them. Instead, advisers said he was personally attached to and hyper-aware of the boxes, instructing that at least some of them accompany him from place to place, and appeared aware of what was inside … Unlike Trump’s Florida property, the New Jersey club was never searched by FBI agents, but current and former advisers said Trump regularly transported boxes of government documents to and from Bedminster, where he holds residence each year for the summer. By the time the FBI conducted a court-ordered search in August, agents had collected surveillance video that showed boxes of documents being moved at Mar-a-Lago and conducted interviews with staff about Trump’s habits in Florida. People familiar with the case said they did not believe there was enough evidence to persuade a judge to order a similar search in New Jersey.”

—‘He’s the cheapest S.O.B. I’ve ever met’: Christie rips Trump for diverting campaign money to PAC

COLTS WON’T STICK THEIR NECK OUT — “Citing legal threat, Colts Neck postpones vote on controversial gender notification policy,” by The Asbury Park Press’ Joe Strupp: “Facing a likely state lawsuit, the Board of Education on Wednesday put off voting on a new policy requiring parental notification of most students who alter their gender identity. The board voted, 6-3, to table the policy on second reading after a lengthy debate that drew both opponents and supporters and has already sparked state legal action in three other nearby districts … ‘My opinion is not to put the board in a position where we are subject to litigation,’ Board President Heather Tormey said after the meeting. ‘That is not something that is fiscally responsible for a policy that can wait.’ Tormey was referring to the string of lawsuits filed last week by state Attorney General Matthew Platkin against Marlboro, Middletown and Manalapan-Englishtown schools for enacting similar policies, all of which remain in effect.”

NEWARK — “Newark mayor angrily denies allegations in social media post,” by Patch’s Eric Kiefer: “Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says he’s lawyering up after a ‘disturbing and categorically false’ social media post was made involving allegations of domestic violence. ‘Last night, my wife, Linda, and I received notification about a social media post that was put up by a person that uses the pseudonym Moses Singletary,’ Baraka wrote Wednesday. ‘It was disturbing and categorically false,’ the mayor said. ‘It was a complete fabrication and offensive to us and our family.’”

—“Jersey City Council approves ability to use eminent domain at 50 Journal Square”

—“Paterson BOE gives retiring superintendent extra $63K for unused vacation time”

—“Another white teacher sues [Paterson] district claiming racial discrimination”

—Snowflack: “‘Lost in a Roman wilderness of pain’”

— Manchester man snuck out while on house arrest to paint swastikas, set fire: prosecutor”

—“Feds announce drug business takedown of Up Top street gang in Paterson”

—“Wayne council bans use of pot, tobacco and vaping products in outdoor cafés”

IF YOU WANTED TO TAKE LAVISH VACATIONS YOU SHOULD’VE RUN FOR OFFICE AND USED YOUR CAMPAIGN FUND — “In stunner, N.J. law firm finance chief accused of taking millions for bogus bonuses, lavish trips,” by NJ Advance Media’s Ted Sherman: “There were more than a dozen trips to the spectacular Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, where it was claimed bills of approximately $89,000 were racked up over time. A stay at the legendary Ritz in Paris and the Punta Cana resort in the Caribbean were both charged to a corporate expense account, it was alleged, as was a vacation at Walt Disney World in Orlando and a ‘lavish birthday party’ in Dublin. One of New Jersey’s biggest law firms filed suit Tuesday against its former chief financial officer, alleging he misappropriated more than $3.2 million over the past 10 years by overpaying himself substantial bonuses and charging tens of thousands of dollars for hotel stays, first class airfare, family travel and high-end vacations on a company-issued American Express card. The civil lawsuit by McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter of Morristown accused John Dunlea, 60 — who had been with the firm for more than 20 years and served as CFO as well as its chief operating officer— of defrauding the firm and breaching his fiduciary duty. It sought restitution as well as a trust over his $1.3 million home in Westfield.”

—“More legal issues for American Dream, as man sues water park over broken leg”