TRENTON -- Hours after state Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Tuesday that he won't consider Gov. Chris Christie's latest state Supreme Court nomination, Christie's office fired back by accusing Sweeney of playing partisan politics.

And an argument broke out over whether Christie's pick would bring the number of Republicans on the court to four or five.

Christie spokesman Kevin Roberts said Sweeney (D-Gloucester) "turns 70 years of bipartisan tradition on its head by failing to satisfy his constitutional duty" to give a confirmation hearing to the nominee, state Superior Court Judge David Bauman.

It's the latest sign that a years-long feud between Christie and Sweeney over the makeup of New Jersey's highest court is heating up again after a nearly two-year stalemate.

On Monday, Christie made a surprise announcement that he was re-nominating Bauman, a fellow Republican, to fill the last of seven seats on New Jersey's highest court -- a seat that has been vacant for six years.

The governor had nominated Bauman to the bench in 2012, but the state Senate -- which must approve Supreme Court nominations -- never gave him a hearing amid Christie and Sweeney's feud.

On Monday, Christie said Bauman would bring the composition of the Supreme Court to four Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent. That, he said, would follow a decades-old, unwritten rule that the governor's party should have a slight advantage of seats on the court.

Christie argued that if Democrats do no grant Bauman a hearing this time, they would be guilty of playing "partisan politics."

But on Tuesday, Sweeney -- the state's top Democrat and a likely candidate for governor next year -- said "the only way" he will consider a Christie nominee is "if the governor preserves judicial independence by submitting a Democrat for the court."

"I will not stand for Chris Christie's repeated attempts to pack the court," Sweeney said in a statement.

Christie's office shot back by saying Sweeney "sat quietly" for eight years when the court was composed of four Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent during the tenures of three Democratic governors: James E. McGreevey, Jon Corzine, and Richard Codey.

"With a Republican governor in office, the Senate President now reverses himself, fabricates history, and makes dishonest arguments of political convenience to justify the unjustifiable and excuse the inexcusable," Roberts said in his statement.

"This is politics at its worst," the spokesman added.

Roberts also noted that a four-Republican court has happened twice -- for a total of 18 years -- since the adoption of New Jersey's constitution in 1947. In contrast, he said, a four-Democrat court has occurred seven times -- for a total of 48 years -- during the same period.

But Richard McGrath, a spokesman for Sweeney, argued that confirming Bauman would actually give Republicans a 5-to-2 advantage on the court. Democrats consider Justice Jaynee LaVecchia, who claims no party affiliation, to be a Republican.

McGrath said the governor's nomination contradicts "the intention of" the state constitution and compromises "the independence of the court."

"It's bad math in defense of bad practices to promote bad policies," he said.

Firing back, Roberts said Sweeney "obviously can't read voter registration information" because LaVecchia is an independent.

"He has a failed argument on the facts so he tries to change the facts," Roberts said. "It's time for him to tell the truth."

In response, McGrath said LaVecchia is registered as "unaffiliated," and that does not make her an independent.

"Justice LaVecchia is a Republican," he said.

The feud between Christie and Sweeney started in 2010, when the governor refused to re-nominate Justice John Wallace to the Supreme Court. Since then, Christie ousted another justice and Sweeney led efforts to block four of the governor's nominees.

Christie said Monday is he re-nominating Bauman because "the spirit moved me."

State Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. (R-Union) also called on Sweeney to give Bauman a hearing.

"One elected official should not sacrifice the safety and health of children and families to continue his political vendetta," Kean said. "This unprecedented disservice to the people must stop now."

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.