A former New Jersey judge who issued groundbreaking decisions on the obligations of towns to provide affordable housing for low- and moderate-income residents is being accused of an appearance of a conflict of interest.

Immediately after his retirement, former Superior Court Judge Douglas Wolfson went to work for a developer and a law firm seeking to maximize the construction of low-priced homes, leading one New Jersey town to raise a legal red flag.

South Brunswick Township, a sprawling suburban community in Middlesex County, has filed a motion arguing that a ruling issued last year by Wolfson, who retired on Dec. 30, should be vacated because of his professional relationship with the developer, Edgewood Properties and his new firm, the Weingarten Law Firm in Parsippany. Wolfson did not return a telephone call seeking comment.