In Mondsini v. Local Finance Board, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2019), the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court clarified the standard to assess when the conduct of public officials runs afoul of the Local Government Ethics Law (LGEL). The case involves whether the Executive Director of the
On January 31, 2019, the New Jersey State Senate approved legislation that amends the Local Public Contracts Law to require municipalities, counties and other local contracting units to release the names, upon request, of all parties who have received bid documents, if three or more parties have received such documents.
New Jersey’s ban on restaurants advertising “bring your own beer” (BYOB) is unconstitutional, according to a recent federal court decision. In GJJM Enterprises v. City of Atlantic City, Judge Joseph Rodriguez of the District of New Jersey ruled that the ban “places a content-based restriction on speech that fails strict scrutiny
A New York federal judge recently gave sanctuary cities a significant legal victory. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos of Manhattan issued a permanent injunctionprohibiting the Department of Justice (DOJ) from imposing immigration-related conditions on Edward Byrne Memorial Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) public safety funds distributed in New Jersey, as well as New York City,
The two percent cap on interest arbitration awards expired at the end of the year 2017. In response, lawmakers in both the New Jersey Senate and Assembly recently introduced legislation to permanently extend the 2% Interest Arbitration cap, which limits how much compensation arbitrators can award police and firefighters who have
Given the stark differences in policy, the leadership change from Gov. Chris Christies election of Gov. Phil Murphy is certain to result in changes for local governments and state agencies. Since taking office, Gov. Murphy has issued ten executive orders, which tackle issues such as wind energy, equal pay, and
The New Jersey Senate is currently considering legislation that aims to encourage and facilitate the provision of local and regional services through shared service agreements and joint contracts. Notably, Senate Bill 1 provides that a municipality would be subject to a reduction in State aid if it fails to approve a recommendation
With New Jersey poised to legalize recreational cannabis, local municipalities have some tough decisions to make. Many are already crafting regulations to either allow or prohibit cannabis dispensaries and other businesses. Proposed NJ Cannabis Bill Allows Local Ordinances Sen. Nicholas Scutari recently reintroduced legislation that would legalize recreational use of small
