Courts
Protests and legislative pressure expected as N.J. prepares for fallout of abortion ruling
As New Jersey's pro-life community celebrated the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights activists vowed to fight for expanded access.
N.J. bar association weighs lawsuit to fill judicial vacancies
Civil rights, whistleblower, product liability, and environmental matters have been indefinitely postponed in some counties because of judicial vacancies.
Senate will meet in summer to confirm judges as vacancies remain stubbornly high
Sen. Brian Stack said the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet at least once during the Legislature's customary summer recess.
Insurers not liable for businesses’ pandemic losses, N.J. appellate panel rules
The businesses' insurance policies did not provide coverage for losses sustained during virus-related government shutdowns, the judges noted in their ruling.
N.J. train engineers ordered back to work after labor dispute sparks Juneteenth callouts
A federal judge on Sunday ordered New Jersey Transit train engineers back to work after hundreds called out sick over the weekend in a labor protest, prompting widespread cancelations and delays. Jim Brown, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, emailed all train engineers last Monday about Juneteenth, a federal and state […]
Judge tosses order that limited protests outside Hudson officials’ homes
A Superior Court Judge has dismissed a lawsuit Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise filed against a group of activists and voided a restraining order that had severely restricted when the group could protest outside DeGise’s home. The order, issued in December 2020, limited protests to a single hour every two weeks, barred more than 10 […]
Court loss for four N.J. men with prior marijuana charges
A New Jersey appeals panel on Thursday ruled against four men who sought to enter a diversionary program for first-time criminal offenders even though they all had used a similar program previously when charged with marijuana possession. One lawyer who supported the men in court says the decision flies in the face of a state law the […]
Impending departure of ‘constitutional giant’ has some wondering about future of N.J. high court
The imminent retirement of Justice Barry Albin from the New Jersey Supreme Court has some criminal justice reformers anxious about the future. Reformers say Albin, one of the court’s staunchest liberals, brought a unique perspective to the court as the only sitting justice with a background in public defense and civil rights. He will hit […]
Six correctional officers accused of lying about inmate attack
Six correctional officers have been criminally charged and accused of pepper-spraying and injuring a compliant inmate while forcibly removing him from his cell, acting Attorney General Matt Platkin said Friday. The officers — a sergeant and five senior correctional officers — then lied and tried to cover up the April 2020 incident as a justified […]
N.J. Supreme Court upholds defendants’ rights in case testing statutes of limitations in DNA crimes
Authorities have five years to prosecute crimes involving DNA evidence once they possess both physical evidence and a suspect’s DNA, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a case testing state law on the statutes of limitations in crimes. Any delays in lab testing or “lack of clarity” in official policies on DNA samples […]
Lawsuit targeting disputed ballot design as unconstitutional can proceed, judge says
A federal lawsuit targeting the county line — the ballot system used in most New Jersey counties that gives a boost to party-backed candidates facing primary challenges — as unconstitutional may proceed, a judge ruled Tuesday. The order by Judge Zahid Quraishi was hailed by progressives who have long argued the ballot design in question gives […]
Non-disparagement agreements in discrimination suits not barred by state law, judges rule
Though New Jersey in 2019 banned the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases involving workplace issues like harassment and retaliation, non-disparagement agreements remain on the table, an appellate panel ruled Tuesday. The decision stems from an interview former Neptune Township police sergeant Christine Savage gave to NBC New York in 2020, after she and the town […]