In State v. Samuel Ryan (A-65-20/085165)(Decided February 7, 2022), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that offenses committed by a defendant while under the age of 18 may count as predicate offenses under the state’s Three Strikes Law, which mandates a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for a
In In the Matter of Establishment of Congressional Districts by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission, the New Jersey Supreme Court rejected a Republican lawsuit challenging the congressional redistricting map selected by the New Jersey Congressional Redistricting Commission (Commission). Facts of the Case The Commission is initially comprised of six individuals
New Jersey has about 600 public school districts, which exceeds the total number of municipalities in the state. Changes could be coming under a school district regionalization bill Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed into law. The new law, Senate Bill No. 3488, modifies certain procedures pertaining to school district regionalization,
In State v. Peter Nyema (A-39-20/085146) and State v. Jamar J. Myers (A-40-20/082858) (Decided January 25, 2022), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that law enforcement officers can’t stop a vehicle during an investigation based solely on a suspect’s race and gender. Facts of the Case After the robbery
In State v. James Comer (A-42-20/) and State v. James C. Zarate (A-43-20/084516), decided January 10, 2021, the Supreme Court of New Jersey overhauled the framework for sentencing juveniles convicted as adults under the state’s homicide statute. Under the court’s holding, juvenile offenders convicted under the law will be permitted
In State v. Cynthia Rivera (A-7-20/084419) (Decided December 29, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a defendant’s youth may be considered only as a mitigating factor in sentencing and can’t support an aggravating factor. Facts of State v. Rivera Defendant Cynthia Rivera admitted to planning and participating
Efforts are underway to eliminate the requirement that New Jersey teachers reside in the state. Under Senate Bill 4203, public school teachers and other school employees would be exempt from the residency requirement. New Jersey First Law The New Jersey First Act, enacted in 2011, established residency requirements for most
Gov. Phil Murphy recently signed legislation into law extending the shutoff moratorium for residential customers of local government water, sewer, and electric services. The moratorium, as well as the grace period for water and municipal electric charges, will now last until March 15, 2022. Extension of Grade Period for Water,
