Gov + Legislature
Lawsuit alleges N.J. vaccine mandate violates constitutional rights
A group of New Jersey public workers allege in a new federal lawsuit that Gov. Phil Murphy’s mandate that they and other public employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular testing violates their constitutional rights. The seven-count complaint, filed the same day as the deadline for state and school workers to be vaccinated, […]
Redistricting commission begins business with show of bipartisanship
The New Jersey Apportionment Commission unanimously adopted bylaws and designated the Office of Legislative Services as its secretary Friday in what is expected to be a rare show of bipartisanship as it sets out to redraw legislative district lines. The 11-member panel — composed of five Democrats, five Republicans, and retired state Appellate Court Judge […]
GOP distrust of mail-in voting a no-show in this year’s races
National politics put New Jersey Republicans in strange position last year. Former President Donald Trump repeatedly derided mail-in voting — which saw widespread adoption as governments looked to stem the spread of COVID-19 — and a cohort of GOP state lawmakers raised alarms over the practice, alternatively arguing residents did not trust it or urging […]
IT chief warns about dangers of state’s archaic technology
New Jersey’s technology infrastructure is in desperate need of repairs, with critical state agencies that oversee unemployment insurance and motor vehicle services relying on archaic systems that are at risk of failing at any point and sending the state into disarray for weeks, according to a new report released by the state. “All these legacy […]
Community investment would protect public more than over-policing, report says
New Jersey communities spend far more on policing than on health and human services, an imbalance that has increased rates of police use of force and incarceration while widening racial disparities in the criminal justice system, according to a new report by New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP), a progressive think tank. Community-based crisis-response and prevention strategies […]
State board expands access to abortion in N.J. through regulation changes
The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners unanimously agreed Wednesday to repeal several restrictions on abortion, effectively expanding access by allowing medical providers other than physicians to terminate pregnancies. The move comes six weeks after Texas lawmakers enacted a controversial abortion ban that drove abortion-rights advocates across the country to rally to preserve women’s […]
Activists demand lawmakers act to curb police brutality on ‘Long March for Justice’
Cecille Hepburn marched for her grandson, Kashad Ashford, who police gunned down in 2014 after a car chase. Steven Young marched for change, a year after he quit Atlantic City’s civilian review board, which is tasked with police oversight, in protest over its powerlessness. And Larry Hamm marched because marching is what Larry Hamm does. An […]
Democrats have broad spending leads in competitive districts, filings show
A handful of competitive legislative districts have again drawn the majority of candidates’ spending this year, and Democrats have the edge. Candidates in the 2nd District in Atlantic County, where Democratic Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo and Republican state Sen.-select Vince Polistina are vying for a vacant seat in the upper chamber, have put just over $1.2 […]
New Jersey lawmakers routinely skip votes, driving demands for reform
Voting on bills is one of the most impactful actions a state legislator can take, but dozens of New Jersey lawmakers skipped more than 10,000 votes in the current legislative session, a New Jersey Monitor analysis has found. Twelve of the Legislature’s 120 lawmakers failed to vote more than 250 times each, representing almost 40% […]
Stalled bills would cut interest on unpaid taxes
A confluence of concerns about enabling residents to skip paying their taxes have kept New Jersey’s interest rate on unpaid imposts among the highest in the nation despite some lawmakers repeated and continuing efforts to bring those rates down. In New Jersey, unpaid taxes above $1,500 accrue interest at a rate of 18% per year, […]
Bail reform pays dividends as number of low-risk defendants jailed pre-trial drops again
In 2014, New Jersey voters backed a constitutional amendment to allow judges to order certain criminal suspects be detained without bail and pushed the courts away from holding minor offenders awaiting trial. Since that measure went into effect in 2017, the number of individuals imprisoned on bail of $2,500 or less while awaiting trial fell […]
Report: N.J. Parole Board too often refuses to release inmates, needs oversight
The New Jersey State Parole Board routinely refuses to release parole-eligible inmates from prison, leaving many people languishing behind bars far longer than sentencing judges intended, the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender says in a recent report calling for more oversight. The 1979 Parole Act requires inmates to be paroled as soon as they’re […]