In Whiteman v. Township Council of Berkeley Township (A-40-24/089641) (Decided July 10, 2025), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that South Seaside Park can secede from Berkeley Township. According to the unanimous Court, the Berkeley Township Planning Board failed to independently evaluate the merits of a deannexation petition and
In Kratovil v. City of New Brunswick (A-6-24/089427) (Decided June 17, 2025), the Supreme Court of New Jersey upheld Daniel’s Law, which prohibits the disclosure of the home addresses of certain public officials, including judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel. In rejecting an as-applied challenge to Daniel’s Law by a
On June 30, 2025, Gov. Phil Murphy signed public notice reform legislation into law. The new law (S-4654/A-5878) requires – beginning March 1, 2026 – a public entity to publish or advertise legal notices on its official website. The new law also mandates that private entities required to publish legal notices
In Jersey City United Against the New Ward Map v. Jersey City Ward Commission (A-10/11-24) (089292) (Decided June 18, 2025), the Supreme Court of New Jersey rejected a challenge to a Jersey City ward map enacted in 2022. In a 4-3 decision, the Court found that the map was sufficiently
In In Re Appeal of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s September 6, 2022 Denial of Request for Adjudicatory Hearing (A-42-23/089182) (Decided April 7, 2025), the New Jersey Supreme Court held that the Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) grant of a waiver suspending certain environmental remediation obligations does not
In In re Opinion No. 735 of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Professional Ethics, the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the practice of purchasing a competitor’s name as a keyword does not, in itself, constitute a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct (RPCs). However, the Court
In M.A. v. J.H.M. (A-1-24/089673) (Decided May 27, 2025), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a defendant in a Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (PDVA) final restraining order (FRO) hearing may invoke the privilege against self-incrimination in response to specific questions that raise reasonable risks of self-incrimination. The
In State v. John T. Bragg (A-13-24/089446) (Decided May 6, 2025), the Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the jury should have been instructed on the castle doctrine and, therefore, any conviction involving self-defense must be vacated. Under New Jersey law, while individuals may use force against others to
