A federal judge has denied the government's request to delay a lawsuit stemming from the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal.
The ruling means the lawsuit will proceed concurrently with the government's criminal case against two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie, which claims the lane closings were politically motivated.
The lawsuit was filed nearly two years ago by residents and business owners in Fort Lee who were inconvenienced by the traffic jams in September 2013.
This year, the U.S. attorney's office indicted a Christie aide and one of his appointees to the agency that operates the bridge.
The U.S. attorney's office had sought to delay the lawsuit until the criminal case was resolved.
The judge's ruling Monday allows the government to file for a delay again if it chooses.
