Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed several bills into law that seek to improve New Jersey’s election process. The measures establish an online voter registration center, require district boundaries and corresponding election results to be posted online, and mandate that incarcerated individuals be counted at their last known street address for legislative
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to decide whether federal agencies can challenge patents under the America Invents Act (“AIA”). The case, Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service, centers on whether the government qualifies as a “person” who may petition to institute review proceedings under the AIA. Legal
This month, New Jersey voters will decide whether to approve funding to finance capital projects at the state’s public libraries. The state has not approved new borrowing for library facilities for eight years. As more fully discussed in a prior post, the proposed bond act authorizes the issuance of $125 million
The Division of Local Government Services and the Division of Codes and Standards recently issued a Local Finance Notice (Notice) reminding municipalities about the construction code fee limitations established under state law and how construction code enforcement offices must budget and account for such fees. They issued the Notice after
In Larkins v. Solter, the Appellate Division recently affirmed the broad audit authority of the New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller (OSC). The appeals court held that the State Comptroller was not obligated to disclose his reasons for selecting the North Bergen District Board of Education (NBBOE) for a
The New Jersey Legislature recently passed legislation that would impose taxes on short-term rentals, or “transient space marketplaces,” like Airbnb. The bill, Assembly Bill No. 4587, now heads to Gov. Chris Christie. According to Airbnb, approximately 6,000 New Jersey “hosts” earned more than $50 million last year. Nonetheless, an increasing number
A New Jersey appeals court recently confirmed that the state’s Tort Claims Act (“TCA”) shields the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“Turnpike Authority”) from any liability in a wrongful death lawsuit where a tree fell onto a vehicle traveling on the highway causing the death of two individuals. According to the
In Brian Royster v. New Jersey State Police, the Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled that the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) was entitled to sovereign immunity with respect to plaintiff’s claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The plaintiff, a former state trooper, had argued that the NJSP
