California justices question attorneys in key pension case

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Supreme Court justices are peppering attorneys on both sides with tough questions in a closely watched lawsuit over pension changes that has the potential to upend the state’s long-held rule that benefits can never be taken away once promised.

At issue during a hearing on Wednesday was California’s decision to eliminate the ability of public workers to pay for more years of service in exchange for a more lucrative pension when they retire.

An attorney challenging the change, Gregg McLean Adam, said the benefit was a promise to workers that they had come to rely on.

Associate Justice Goodwin Liu said Adam’s logic could be construed broadly to apply to a range of employment benefits, including transit subsidies and health insurance.

The court did not immediately rule.