NJ Supreme Court Holds Dog Ownership Records Not Exempt From OPRA Requests

In Bozzi v. Jersey City, (A-12-20/084392) (Decided September 20, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that owning a dog is a substantially public endeavor in which people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that exempts their personal information from disclosure under the privacy clause of the

NJ Supreme Court Rules Dog Bite Statute’s Strict Liability Applies to Independent Contractor

In Bonay Goldhagen v. Susan Pasmowitz (A-17-20/084668) (Decided August 5, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the Dog Bite Statute’s strict liability standard applies to the claim of an independent contractor who agrees to care for a dog. According to the court, the statute’s plain language reveals

NJ Supreme Court Rules Pension Forfeiture Not a Fine Subject to Excessive-Fine Analysis

In State v. Bennie Anderson (A-15/16-20) (084365) (Decided August 11, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the forfeiture of defendant’s pension under N.J.S.A. 43:1-3.1 does not constitute a fine for purposes of an excessive-fine analysis under the Federal or State Constitutions. Because the forfeiture is not a

NJ Supreme Court Clarifies When License Plates Can Justify Traffic Stop

In State v. Carter (A-66-19/083221) and State v. Roman-Rosado (A-67-19/084074) (Decided August 2, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed when police officers can stop motorists with covered license plates. Under the court’s unanimous decision, if a frame conceals or obscures a marking in a way that it can’t

NJ Supreme Court Addresses When Criminal History Check Can Be Run on Prospective Juror

In State v. Edwin Andujar (A-6-20/084167) (Decided July 13, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey first addressed when a criminal history check can be run on a prospective juror. It concluded that while it may occasionally be appropriate to conduct a criminal history check to confirm whether a prospective

NJ Supreme Court Holds Names of Officers Subject to Major Discipline Can Be Published

The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently upheld Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s executive order to publish the names of police officers who have been subjected to major discipline… The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently upheld Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s executive order to publish the names of police officers who

NJ Supreme Court Clarifies Standard for Approving or Expanding Charter Schools

In In re Renewal Application of TEAM Academy Charter School, (A-45-19/083014) (Decided June 22, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey upheld the Commissioner of Education’s grant of seven Newark charter school expansion applications. However, the court held that in considering future applications for new or expanded charter schools, the