Former Mayor John Bencivengo’s conviction has been upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The court ruled that a town official can be convicted for taking bribes to guide school board contracts. This is true even if the official cannot make good on his promises –
New Jersey has created a legal ambiguity for same-sex couples who have entered into a legal civil union and also gotten married. For example, if the couple decides to end the relationship, do they have to get a dissolution of the civil union and a divorce? The current New Jersey
The recent opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Committee has struck a blow to the regulation of money in elections. The Court struck down the federal limits on the total amounts individual donors may contribute to candidates and political committees. The Court reasoned that donating
Momentum is growing among New Jersey municipalities to expand the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) to include state lawmakers. The basic argument is “if us, why not them?” Under the current law, OPRA’s disclosure requirements apply to “public agencies,” which are defined as: The executive branch of state
Gannet Co.’s lawsuit against borough of Raritan is one of the longest-running suits under New Jersey’s Open Public Record Act (OPRA). In the latest development, a special master appointed by the court has awarded the newspaper company $542,000 in legal fees. The case, which dates back to 2009, involves Raritan’s
A recent report from the Office of the State Comptroller finds that local governments are not adequately reviewing their legal fees. Due to this failure, local governments are missing excessive fees billed by their attorneys and are not aware of the improper payments for the legal services their attorney provide
Legislation that would overrule a recent court ruling regarding the liability of New Jersey municipalities when it comes to their emergency response operations is advancing through both the state Senate and Assembly. As we have previously discussed on this New Jersey Government & Law Blog, the New Jersey Supreme Court
The New Jersey Division of Local Services recently released new rules to implement a 2007 law (N.J.S.A. 40A:5-48) that requires municipalities to provide user-friendly budgets to the public. The aim of the law was to provide local elected officials and members of the public with easy-to-understand budget information to help
