NJ Appellate Law Blog – NJ Appellate Lawyer Bruce D. Greenberg blogs about Appeals and Appellate Law Practice

Judges Mitterhoff, Natali, and Firko Are Promoted to the Appellate Division

Chief Justice Rabner has announced the elevation of three judges to the Appellate Division. Two of them, Judges Firko and Natali, have been serving on temporary assignment to the Appellate...

Mark Neary, Clerk of the Supreme Court, Will Retire

Mark Neary, who has served as Clerk of the Supreme Court for over nine years, will retire in November of this year. A search is on for his replacement. A...

Appellate Division Retirements (All Non-Mandatory) Are in the Offing

At last night's NJSBA Appellate Practice Committee meeting, it was announced that three judges of the Appellate Division will be retiring shortly. They are Judges Carroll, Leone, and Manahan. Each...

No Attorneys' Fees for Retired Public Employee Who Successfully Sued to Enforce Agency Decision Regarding His Pension

Brunt v. Board of Trustees, Police & Firemen's Retirement System, 455 N.J. Super. 357 (App. Div. 2018). In general, except as specified by statute, court rule, or a contract between...

Browsers and the Judiciary Website

Today, the New Jersey Judiciary website began to display a notice on its home page that states "As of June 14, the Judiciary will discontinue support for older browsers in...

Ten Days Until Summer in the Appellate Division

According to the solar calendar, summer formally begins on June 21. But the Appellate Division begins its summer schedule on June 18, as reflected in the summer Part schedule published...

Governor Murphy Nominates Justice Patterson for Tenure

Governor Murphy announced yesterday that he is nominating Justice Patterson for tenure on the Supreme Court. Justice Patterson has served with distinction on the Court for the past seven years....

Should Two Attorneys be Able to Split an Appellate Oral Argument?

The Supreme Court announced that it is seeking comments on a proposed amendment to Rule 2:11-1(b)(3). That rule, which deals with oral argument in the appellate courts, currently states that...

Judges Firko and Natali Are Temporarily Assigned to the Appellate Division

Chief Justice Rabner has announced that Judges Lisa A. Firko and Arnold L. Nitali, Jr., have been temporarily assigned to the Appellate Division. Both judges will serve in the Appellate...

Revised Emergent Application Procedures in the Appellate Division

The Appellate Division has issued updated guidelines for the treatment of emergent applications. Those guidelines, available here, update its August 26, 2015 guidelines, which were discussed here. The updates are...

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The Week Just Ending: Three Criminal Law Decisions

This week saw one case decided by the Supreme Court and two published opinions of the Appellate Division. The Supreme Court case, decided by a 6-1 vote, presented an ex post facto issue arising out of amendments to the statute governing parole. The two Appellate Division decisions entailed more "core" criminal law issues. Here are summaries of those cases:...

The 2025 Omnibus Court Rule Amendments and Other Changes

The Supreme Court announced amendments to Court Rules and appendices, as well as certain other procedural changes. That announcement is embodied in an Omnibus Rule Amendment Order that is available here....

"Abuse of Discretion" vs. "Patent and Gross Abuse of Discretion"

State v. Taylor, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6(c), a part of the Graves Act, makes the use or possession of a firearm during the commission, attempted commission, or flight from the commission of certain designated offenses a sentencing factor that triggers the imposition of a mandatory term of imprisonment. A later-added section of the Graves Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-6.2, creates an "escape valve," under which a prosecutor may seek from the court a waiver of the imposition of a mandatory minimum sentence where the prosecutor believes that such a sentence would not serve the interest of justice....

A "Swan Song" for a False Light Invasion of Privacy Claim on Statute of Limitations Grounds

Chipola v. Flannery, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). As discussed here, this case was one of two that the Supreme Court agreed to review in its first grants of review of the current Term. The question presented was "Does a claim alleging false light invasion of privacy have a one-year statute of limitations, see Swan v. Boardwalk Regency Corp., 407 N.J. Super. 108 (App. Div 2009)?" Today, agreeing with the Law Division and the Appellate Division, the Supreme Court answered "yes."...