* NJ recession-driven deficit rises to $4.4 billion

* NJ Gov details $150 million of new budget cuts (Adds details, new paragraphs: 2-8; changes dateline, previous NEW YORK)

PHILADELPHIA, May 15 (Reuters) - New Jersey's budget deficit has spiked almost $1.1 billion, to $4.4 billion, from March because the recession has clipped tax revenues, the state treasurer said on Friday.

Revenues fell to $28.3 billion in the May estimate from $32.5 billion in the original estimate for fiscal 2009, according to the report, released on web site: here

Democratic Governor Jon Corzine detailed $150 million in new spending cuts to help rebalance the state budget for the rest of the 2009 fiscal year.

"The cuts we are making are unprecedented but we are experiencing a national economic crisis the likes of which we haven't seen in generations," he said in a statement.

On Thursday, Corzine said the other ways he would close the budget shortfall included taking $450 million from the rainy day fund, deferring another $450 million in spending until the next fiscal year and reducing the state's pension payments by $150 million.

Almost every department budget has been cut. The biggest new cut was a $451 million reduction in education, and about $9 million was cut from the children and families budget.

Nearly $11 million was cut from environmental protection and over $7 million from law and public safety.