Criminal Justice
Hate crimes registry plan finds opposition from civil rights advocates
Civil rights advocates are voicing opposition to a proposal to create a registry for New Jersey residents convicted of hate crimes. The plan, announced last week by a trio of lawmakers in the seventh legislative district, would create a public online registry containing the names, addresses, license plate numbers, and various other descriptors for New […]
N.J. courts announce vaccine mandate
New Jersey Courts are enacting their own vaccine mandate. The judiciary will require all staff and judges presiding over state courts provide proof of their immunization or submit to weekly virus testing, acting Administrative Director of the Courts Judge Glenn Grant said. The announcement comes only days after the courts fully re-opened to the public […]
New Jersey attorney general on wrong side of license plate case
In March, then-New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal spoke with the Washington Post about his vision for police reform. Grewal said his office was focused on improving law enforcement “well before the events of this past summer,” meaning the nationwide unrest that erupted after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “We want to […]
Police cannot always stop drivers for obscured license plates, N.J. Supreme Court rules
Police in New Jersey can no longer stop motorists for driving cars with partially obscured license plates if the plate markings are still recognizable, the New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in a unanimous decision issued Monday. The ruling was largely a victory for civil liberties advocates who claimed that such stops are unconstitutional, discriminatory […]
N.J. courts to fully re-open amid stunning backlogs, broad vacancies
New Jersey’s courthouses will fully re-open to the public today for the first time since the start of the pandemic, acting Administrative Director of the New Jersey Courts Judge Glenn Grant announced Friday. State courts resumed holding in-person trials and some other on-location services in mid-June, but capacity was limited to 50%. Entry to courthouses […]
Lawmakers announce hate crimes registry bill after Mount Laurel man’s racist tirade
A trio of Burlington County lawmakers have proposed a public hate crimes registry in response to a Mount Laurel resident’s racist tirade against Black neighbors, a rant that was part of an apparent rise in confirmed or suspected hate crimes statewide. The proposed registry would be a searchable database that includes the names, street addresses, […]