TRENTON, N.J. — After originally seeking $8.9 billion, New Jersey’s $225 million settlement with ExxonMobil over dozens of polluted sites is a reasonable compromise considering the substantial legal risks the state faced, a judge ruled Tuesday in approving a deal Gov. Chris Christie’s administration called historic and opponents called a sellout.

The settlement ending an 11-year legal battle that spanned both Democratic and Republican governors is “fair, reasonable, in the public interest and consistent with the goals of the Spill Compensation and Control Act,” Superior Court Judge Michael Hogan wrote. He noted the settlement is on top of Exxon’s responsibility to clean up the sites.

New Jersey sued ExxonMobil in 2004 for pollution dating back decades.

The idea was to hold the company responsible not only for cleaning up polluted areas but to compensate the public for the alleged harm to groundwater, surface water and other ecological resources.