Judge Nelson C. Johnson - Round 2The Battle for Justice Continues between Mayor Hague and Arthur T. Vanderbilt – a battle that both Won. Vanderbilt got government and Court reform. He becomes the first legitimate Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court. Hague puts the Democrat Party in a powerful position on a Statewide basis and creates his own Hudson County “welfare” system. Were they always ”good guys”? Not a chance. Were they effective? Beyond any expectation!Darrow's Nightmare...

State v. Lopez- Carerra and Molchor and RiosWhen NJ criminal justice collides with ICE. Defendant deported to Guatemala with serious NJ charges pending. Ruling - NJ cannot detain a criminal defendant even if the release means the defendant will be imminently deported.Rachel Wainer Apter - NJ Supreme Court Nominee - NJ Law Journal coverage.

Governor Murphy nominates to replace retiring Justice LaVecchia on the NJ Supreme Court. Nominee Apter’s credentials include a perfect 1600 on the SAT, Penn undergrad, Harvard Law School, US S Ct clerkship with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ms. Apter’s practice has included big time litigation such as:Gay Wedding Cake CaseApple v. SamsungDetained Immigrants and Separated Family cases___________________________________________________________________________State v. Outland - McDonald's robbery...

New Jersey Superior Court Judge Nelson Johnson (Ret.) is the author of Boardwalk Empire - New York Times best-selling book and inspiration for the smash HBO hit. His book Battleground New Jersey drops the reader directly into the titanic battle between two people critical to evolution of the New Jersey governance and the Court System. Our first Chief Justice Arthur T. Vanderbilt and his nemesis Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague. Please enjoy Part 1.Judge Johnson's upcoming book – rele...

Honoring Justice Jaynee LaVecchia - Justice LaVecchia announced her retirement, giving Gov Murphy a slot to fill before the Fall Gubernatorial Election. The NJ Law Journal shared a warm editorial - see the link. Delanoy v. Ocean Twp.- an important case analyzing police department practices in light of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The NJ Supreme Court finds for the plaintiff - Officer and Mom Delanoy and remands for determination - is carrying and firing a gun an "essential function" of ...

Chief Justice Arthur T. VanderbiltBefore the 1947 New Jersey Constitution, litigants and lawyers had to navigate (18) separate courts. Attorney, law professor and reformer - first Chief Justice under the 1947 Constitution Arthur T. Vanderbilt spearheaded massive reforms to the Judiciary. Don't take my word for it however. My fantastic source is the book by Boardwalk Empire author and now-retired Superior Court Judge Nelson C. Johnson - Battleground New Jersey - Vanderbilt, Hague and the...

NJ Model Jury Charge Proposed - Rooting out Implicit or Unconscious Bias - the NJ Supreme Court will take comments on this interesting proposed Amendment to the baseline Model Jury Charges.Topic: Publication of Police Officer DisciplineSuzette Parmley of the NJ Law Journal reports on oral argument before the NJ Supreme Court on March 2, 2021. The issue is whether NJ Police Office discipline will become public and accessible. I also tease our next topic:First post-1947 Constitution - Chief Jus...

I break down (2) NJ Supreme Court opinions with star criminal defense attorney Meghan J McCormick Hoerner, Esquire. Meg brings over (20) years of combined prosecution and defense experience to these cases that address the words of the prosecutor in opening and closing statements. State v. Damon Williams - I addressed the case as "The Shining" or "polite bank heist" in a rant on the Bold Sidebar - Jan 21, 2021. The prosecutor used audio and visual aids referring to The Shining and "...

Two cases this week.Maison v. NJ TransitAnswers the question of whether NJ Transit is a “common carrier.” Answer = yes. The court imposes common carrier liability duties on NJ Transit. The duty is more than getting people from point A to point B. The court also crafted a specific jury charge for the allocation of damages across the agency, the agency’s employee and an unrelated tortfeasor. At stake a $1.8 million award to the plaintiff.Goldfarb v. SolimineEquitable remedies and statutory Secu...

Certain Pre-trial Detainees - NJ Supreme Court authorizes release of inmates awaiting trial ona case by case basis. Trial judges may decide these applications on motion without requiring a hearing in all cases. Detainees who were previously denied release may re-apply.State v. Desir - NJ Supreme Court - grants limited discovery to criminal defendant arrested off a warrant supported by information provided by a Confidential Informant (CI)Goulding v. NJ Friendship House - NJ Supreme Court - gra...