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New Jersey Supreme Court: Description of Race and Gender of Robbery Suspects, Without More, Doesn’t Constitute Reasonable Suspicion for Investigatory Traffic Stop of Black Motorists

Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022

Filed under: Racial Discrimination, Traffic Stops

New Jersey Supreme Court: Description of Race and Gender of Robbery Suspects, Without More, Doesn’t Constitute Reasonable Suspicion for Investigatory Traffic Stop of Black Motorists by Mark Wilson by Mark Wilson THE NEW JERSEY SUPREME COURT unanimously held that police lacked reasonable and articulable suspicion to stop a vehicle occupied …

New Jersey Supreme Court: Youth May Be Considered as a Mitigating Factor but Not Aggravating Factor in Sentencing

Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022

Filed under: Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Combination of Factors/Totality of Circumstances

New Jersey Supreme Court: Youth May Be Considered as a Mitigating Factor but Not Aggravating Factor in Sentencing by David Reutter by David M. Reutter The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that a defendant’s youth may be considered only as a mitigating factor in sentencing and cannot support an …

News in Brief

Article • June 15, 2022 • from CLN July, 2022

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by News in Brief Britain: A court hearing at London’s highest legal body is scheduled for late June 2022, The Guardian reported. It will concern a lawsuit brought against the City of London police for allegedly wrongfully tasering a Black man on April 7, 2018. Case was …

Weed Now Legal in New Jersey, New Yorkers Cannot Cross State Lines With It

Article • May 3, 2022

Filed under: Marijuana Laws/Issues

Weed Now Legal in New Jersey, New Yorkers Cannot Cross State Lines With It by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott You can buy marijuana legally in New Jersey as of Thursday, April 21, 2022, one day after “World Weed Day.” Governor Phil Murphy signed into law three bills defining …

News in Brief

Article • February 15, 2022 • from CLN March, 2022

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: On December 21, 2021, two former police officers in West Blocton, Alabama, were arrested and charged with sexual assault. According to WBRC, a news station serving Birmingham, the Tuscaloosa Police Department announced that the former officers, Craig Baird Arnold, 49, and Brian Keith Whatley, 50, …

Rutgers University Pioneers New Jersey Innocence Project

Article • February 15, 2022 • from CLN March, 2022

Filed under: Actual Innocence/Claim of Innocence

Rutgers University Pioneers New Jersey Innocence Project by Casey Bastian by Casey J. Bastian  Rutgers University-Camden is the new base of operations for the New Jersey Innocence Project (“NJIP”). Jill Friedman is the associate dean for pro bono and public interest at Rutgers Law School in Camden, as well as …

News in Brief

Article • January 15, 2022 • from CLN February, 2022

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Arizona: The family of a homeless and mentally ill man who died after being restrained by Phoenix cops in 2017 will get $5 million from the city, after a 7-2 city council vote in favor of the payment on November 17, 2021, according to a report …

New Jersey Directive Provides Relief for Certain Drug Offenders

Article • January 15, 2022 • from CLN February, 2022

Filed under: U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Drug Laws/Offenses

New Jersey Directive Provides Relief for Certain Drug Offenders by Casey Bastian by Casey J. Bastian In February 2018, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy convoked the Criminal Sentencing and Disposition Committee (“CSDC”) to analyze the state’s sentencing laws. The CSDC was tasked with providing specific recommendations “to ensure a stronger, …

Williams v. Essex County Correctional Facility, NJ, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2021

Brief • December 27, 2021

Filed under: Excessive Force

Williams v. Essex County Correctional Facility, NJ, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2021 OFFICE OF THE COUNTY COUNSEL Hall of Records, Room 535, Newark, New Jersey 07102 973.621.5003 --- 973.621.4599 (Fax) www.essexcountynj.org Jerome M. St. John Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. Essex County Executive Tiffany Hollis foia@humanrightsdefensecenter.org 7542634568 Essex County Counsel May 24, …

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Arrestees in Police Custody Have Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Calls Made on Police Station Phone Absent Notice That Call Is Being Monitored or Recorded

Article • December 15, 2021 • from CLN January, 2022

Filed under: Telephones, Privacy Act/Rights

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Arrestees in Police Custody Have Reasonable Expectation of Privacy in Calls Made on Police Station Phone Absent Notice That Call Is Being Monitored or Recorded by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney The Supreme Court of New Jersey held that the right of privacy under Article …

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Framework for Requesting Criminal Background Check of Potential Juror and Calls for Judicial Conference to Explore Nature of Discrimination in Jury Selection Process

Article • November 15, 2021 • from CLN December, 2021

Filed under: Jurors and Juries, Bias/Discrimination, Background Evidence

New Jersey Supreme Court Announces Framework for Requesting Criminal Background Check of Potential Juror and Calls for Judicial Conference to Explore Nature of Discrimination in Jury Selection Process by Douglas Ankney by Douglas Ankney In a case of first impression, the Supreme Court of New Jersey announced the framework that …

Witt v. County of Cumberland, NJ, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2021

Brief • October 22, 2021

Filed under: Guard Brutality/Beatings

Witt v. County of Cumberland, NJ, Settlement, Excessive Force, 2021 RELEASE This Release (hereinafter "Release") dated Oc..+. 22 n.d ,. 2021 is given by the Plaintiff, Lourenzo Witt, (hereafterreferred to as "Releasor" or "I"), and assigns, to only Cumberland County, and any and all past, present or future employees, officers, …

Newark Police Didn’t Discharge a Single Firearm in 2020, and the Crime Rate Fell

Article • September 15, 2021 • from CLN October, 2021

Filed under: Statistics/Trends, Shootings

Newark Police Didn’t Discharge a Single Firearm in 2020, and the Crime Rate Fell by Jayson Hawkins by Jayson Hawkins Amidst the chaos of a global pandemic, social protests, and political upheaval, many people felt as if anything that could go wrong in 2020 went wrong. The avalanche of tumultuous …

News in Brief

Article • August 15, 2021 • from CLN September, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by California: Five Southern California cops were placed on leave in June 2021 after a video surfaced showing them attacking suspects, according to reports by the Washington Post. On June 10, 2021, four Glendale police officers went on paid leave while an investigation was opened into their response to …

Adam X v. New Jersey Dept of Corrections, NJ, Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Settlment, ADA Compliance 2021

Brief • July 21, 2021

Filed under: Americans with Disabilities Act

Adam X v. New Jersey Dept of Corrections, NJ, Order Granting Motion for Preliminary Approval of Class Settlment, ADA Compliance 2021 Case 3:17-cv-00188-FLW-LHG Document 136 Filed 07/21/21 Page 1 of 10 PageID: 751 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY ADAM X., BRIAN Y., CASEY Z., on …

Adam X v. New Jersey Dept. Of Corrections, NJ, Settlement Agreement, ADA Compliance, 2021

Brief • July 16, 2021

Filed under: Americans with Disabilities Act

Adam X v. New Jersey Dept. Of Corrections, NJ, Settlement Agreement, ADA Compliance, 2021 Case 3:17-cv-00188-FLW-LHG Document 135-3 Filed 07/16/21 Page 2 of 105 PageID: 580 IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY ______________________________________ ADAM X., BRIAN Y., CASEY Z., on behalf of themselves and …

New Jersey Governor Celebrates Juneteenth by Signing ‘Ban the Box’ Into Law

Article • July 15, 2021 • from CLN August, 2021

Filed under: housing

New Jersey Governor Celebrates Juneteenth by Signing ‘Ban the Box’ Into Law by Dale Chappell by Dale Chappell New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy commemorated the inaugural federal Juneteenth holiday on June 18, 2021, by signing into law the Fair Chance in Housing Act (“FCHA”), prohibiting landlords from requesting someone’s criminal …

News in Brief

Article • July 15, 2021 • from CLN August, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by California: Two San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officers repeatedly punched a homeless Black man they were arresting on May 12, 2021, after they allegedly caught him attempting to urinate in public. According to a report by the Washington Post, the incident was captured on a cellphone …

News in Brief

Article • June 15, 2021 • from CLN July, 2021

Filed under: News in Brief

News in Brief by Alabama: An Alabama state trooper arrested on April 27, 2021 for sexually abusing a child had been fired from the FBI for sexual misconduct before he was ever hired in Alabama, fooling the state Law Enforcment Agency (ALEA) with a letter of recommendation that was apparently …

New Jersey Police Union Contracts Laden With Financial Largesse

Article • April 15, 2021 • from CLN May, 2021

Filed under: Cost of Prison Systems, Guard Unions

New Jersey Police Union Contracts Laden With Financial Largesse by Casey Bastian by Casey Bastian Repeated attempts by New Jersey lawmakers to rein in police union contracts have failed to eliminate costly provisions related to munificent compensations, financial incentives, and awards. ProPublica and Asbury Park Press, an affiliate of ProPublica’s …