TRENTON

— The month-long controversy over Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to replace Supreme Court Justice John Wallace took a new turn today.

Christie, who has faced a series of rebukes from critics who say the move jeopardizes the independence of the Judiciary, lost the services of a state advisory panel today after its members resigned in protest.

Previous coverage:

• Justice Wallace grateful for colleague support as term ends

• Ousted N.J. Supreme Court Justice John Wallace thanks colleagues for support

• N.J. lawyers group honors ousted state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace Jr.

• N.J. attorneys voice concern over Gov. Christie's decision to oust Justice Wallace as term expires

• Friends, colleagues say both Wallace and Patterson are qualified for N.J. Supreme Court

In a letter to Christie, the resigning members of the Judicial Advisory Panel, which reviews nominees to the Superior Court, said the governor’s views are "inconsistent with an independent judiciary."

"You have expressed publicly a profoundly different view of the governor’s appointive responsibilities," they wrote. "This was exemplified by your actions and remarks in refusing to reappoint Justice John Wallace to the Supreme Court, a jurist who indisputably exemplified all of the qualifications for honorable judicial service."

Four of the Judicial Advisory Panel’s seven members are former Supreme Court justices: James Coleman, Alan Handler, Stewart Pollock and Deborah Poritz. When reached for comment, Coleman and Pollock declined to elaborate on the letter.

"The letter is self explanatory," Pollock said. "The panel and the governor have differing views of judicial independence."

Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak thanked the resigning panel members for their service and said they will be replaced "in short order."

Also on the panel were Kean University Professor Susan Lederman, Goya Foods General Counsel Carlos Ortiz, and former state appellate judge Harold Wells.

Former Gov. Jon Corzine created the Judicial Advisory Panel with an executive order in 2006 to help vet Superior Court nominees, then appointed all the members who resigned today.

"The members who resigned are entitled to their opinions, but not everyone shares their views, including others in the judiciary and legal community who recognize the governor’s constitutional prerogative and authority in this regard," Drewniak said.

Christie is the first New Jersey governor who has not renominated a sitting Supreme Court justice since the state revamped its constitution six decades ago. Christie has said the court overstepped its bounds with rulings affecting tax and social policies, saying Wallace had to go because he contributed to the court’s judicial activism.

Democrats protested the decision, and Chief Justice Stuart Rabner criticized the governor in a rare public statement.

Last month Christie nominated Morristown lawyer Anne Patterson to replace Wallace, but Senate Democrats have pledged to block any confirmation hearings for the next 22 months, when Wallace would have been eligible for mandatory retirement at age 70.