The New Jersey Supreme Court recently decided a defamation lawsuit against a weekly New Jersey newspaper, finding that it was not liable for a false front-page teaser. The central issue in Ronald Durando and Gustave Dotoli v. The Nutley Sun and North Jersey Media Group, Inc. was whether the editor
According to a recent decision, a New Jersey courtroom can be deemed defective on constitutional grounds. The courtroom in question, located in Warren County, came under scrutiny after a criminal defendant argued that its layout obstructed his view of the witness box and thus violated the Confrontation Clause of the
In Parsells v. Board of Education of the Borough of Somerville (A-21-22/087261) (Decided June 12, 2023), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a Somerville teacher did not knowingly waive her tenured right to a full-time teaching position. The court further found that the Appellate Division erred by imposing
The Appellate Division recently held that police internal affairs files were not subject to disclosure under the state’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA)… In Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC v. Township of Neptune, the Appellate Division held that police internal affairs files were not subject to disclosure under the state’s
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held in Golden v. New Jersey Inst. of Tech. that an author was wrongly denied fees under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”). According to the appeals court, although the fact that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) directed the New Jersey
In Vincent Piscitelli v. City of Garfield Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Supreme Court of New Jersey clarified when conflicts of interest may disqualify a Zoning Board member from voting on a matter. The court stopped short of finding that members of the Garfield Zoning Board of Adjustment had a
As we reflect on the New Year, we are looking back at the public law issues that impacted New Jersey municipalities in 2017. The past year brought a number of legal developments involving the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA). Below is a brief summary: Dash Cam Footage: In North
The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently held oral arguments in two cases regarding whether the New Jersey Constitution bans government agencies from giving grants to local churches. The cases are Freedom from Religion Foundation v. Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders and American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey v.
