Supreme Court Takes Jail Settlement Agreement Case
Today the New Jersey Supreme Court agreed to hear the plaintiff's appeal in Libertarians for Transparent Gov't v. Cumberland County, 465 N.J. Super. 11 (App. Div. 2020), a published decision that shut down public access to non-litigation settlement agreements that resolve a public employee's internal discipline.… Read more
Bill Would Exempt Addresses of Legislators, Probation Officers
As our readers may recall, Governor Murphy recently signed "Daniel's Law" into law, which exempts the home addresses of current and former judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers from access under OPRA.… Read more
2020 Transparency Year in Review
Happy New Year! The year 2020 was a year unlike any other. As we look back at transparency issues that arose over the past year, we hope that this blog finds our readers healthy and well.… Read more
New Use of Force Policy Makes Positive Changes, But Also Raises Questions
On December 21, 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced changes to the statewide "Use of Force Policy," the first revision to the policy in two decades. Among other things, the new policy prohibits the use of deadly force against citizens "except as an absolute last resort." Because the Attorney General is New Jersey's "chief law enforcement officer," this policy is binding upon every law enforcement agency in the state.… Read more
NJ Passes Law To Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
On December 17, 2020, both houses of New Jersey's legislature passed companion bills to create a new regulatory framework to govern the cultivation, processing, distribution and sale of state legal marijuana. The bill is expected to be promptly signed into law by Governor Murphy.… Read more
Duty of Competence: A Case Study
Competence is a bedrock obligation of every lawyer in every setting, even pro-bono representation, and deviation from the standard of practice may qualify as professional malpractice.… Read more
Vote on Cannabis Bills by NJ Legislature Scheduled for Thursday, December 17, 2020
NJ Senate and Assembly committees have now voted in favor of moving the personal use cannabis bills to full votes of the Legislature on Thursday December 17, 2020.… Read more
Given Blatant Attempt at a Coup, the Biden Justice Department Cannot Look Away from Evidence of Criminality by Donald Trump
The Electoral College has spoken and Joe Biden is now incontrovertibly the President Elect. Even most Republican leaders are now grudgingly admitting that Biden is our next President. As to the election, la guerre est finie.… Read more
MORE Act Passes the House
In a historic vote, the US House of Representatives voted 228-164 in favor of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.… Read more