In State v. Leo T. Little, Jr. (A-80-19/084115) (Decided May 27, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that voir dire questioning by the trial court of prospective jurors during jury selection deprived the defendant of a fair trial. Facts of State v. Little, Jr. According to trial testimony,
In State v. Kanem Williamson (A-65-19/083979) (Decided May 10, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed that the trial court correctly admitted the victim’s statement identifying defendant as her shooter as a dying declaration under N.J.R.E. 804(b)(2). The court further held that the admission of the victim’s statement as
In Baskin v. P.C. Richard & Son, LLC (A-77-19/(084257) (Decided May 5, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey clarified the requirements for maintaining a class-action lawsuit. Applying these standards, it held that the plaintiffs sufficiently pled a class action against defendants for noncompliance with the Fair and Accurate Credit
In State v. Omar Vega-Larregui (A-33-20/085288) (Decided April 28, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey rejected arguments that the use of virtual grand juries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic runs afoul of the Federal of State Constitution. “This court has utilized technology to preserve, not to undermine, the
In State v. Luis A. Maisonet (A-28-19/083066) (Decided March 23, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that defendant Luis Maisonet was not denied his constitutional right to counsel when, on the day his murder trial was set to begin, he sought an adjournment to see if he could
In State v. Lopez-Carrera (A-8-20/084750) and State v. Molchor; State v. Rios (A-9-20/084694) (Decided March 30, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the Criminal Justice Reform Act (CJRA) does not empower judges to detain defendants who are non-citizens to prevent immigration officials from removing them from the
In Haley v. Board of Review (A-71-19/084123) (Decided March 17, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that pretrial detention premised on charges that are later dismissed is not a separation from work that automatically disqualifies an applicant from unemployment benefits under the Unemployment Compensation Law (UCL). It further
In Anasia Maison v. New Jersey Transit Corporation (A-34/35-19/083484) (Decided February 17, 2021), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ Transit) and its bus drivers are held to the same negligence standard under the Tort Claims Act (TCA) as other common carriers, which is
