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

Two Signed Not-for-Publication Opinions Issued Today

As noted here, it is highly unusual for Appellate Division not-for-publication opinions to be signed, as opposed to being issued per curiam. Today, however, two of the four opinions issued...

Discovery and Severance

Procopio v. Gov't Employees Ins. Co., 433 N.J. Super. 377 (App. Div. 2013). As Judge Parrillo stated in today's opinion, rulings of trial level judges on discovery matters, and on whether...

The Requirement of Findings and Conclusions by Trial Level Judges

There are many, many decisions, including this published ruling by Judge Lihotz, that implement the directive of Rule 1:7-4 that a trial judge "shall, by an opinion or memorandum decision, either...

Rule 2:11-3(e)(1)(E)- The "That's Ridiculous" Rule

Most judges dislike briefs that assert that an adversary's legal argument is "ridiculous," "absurd," "preposterous," or the like. Judges often say that a statement that an opposing position is "without...

Delaware Chancery Court's State-Sponsored Arbitration Program is Held Unconstitutional

Delaware Coalition for Open Government, Inc. v. Strine, 733 F.3d 510 (3d Cir. 2013). It is rare that judges, and a court, are defendants in a lawsuit. It is even...

Practice Tips From the Ninth Circuit

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has published "The Appellate Lawyer Representatives' Guide to Practice in the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit." That Guide is available...

Judge Fernandez-Vina Clears the Judiciary Committee

Today was the day that the Senate Judiciary Committee held its hearing on the nomination to the Supreme Court of Camden County Superior Court Judge Fausto Fernandez-Vina. The hearing featured...

Despite Government Shutdown, the Third Circuit Will Remain Open

Yesterday, Chief Judge McKee issued an Order of the Chief Circuit Judge Regarding the Operations of the Courts in the Absence of an Appropriation or Continuing Resolution Enacted by the United States Congress...

The "Narrowest Grounds" Doctrine

B.H. v. Easton Area School District, 725 F.3d 293 (3d Cir. 2013). The majority opinion in this en banc case, written by Judge Smith, begins as follows. "Once again, we...

"Building the Trial Record and Arguing it on Appeal"

This seminar, sponsored by the Morris County Bar Association, took place last night. The headliners of the panel of presenters were Justice Patterson and Judges Axelrad, Sabatino, and Stern. [Disclosure:...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 303132 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43…Last

"Hot Fun in the Summertime": Appellate Division Summer Parts

In an Order available here, Chief Justice Rabner announced the lineup for the Appellate Division's summer Parts. As has been customary, the "summer" runs not between the meteorological start and end dates for summer, nor from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but from June 16 through September 7....

The Supreme Court Confirms That Municipalities Can be Subjected to Sanctions for Frivolous Litigation

Borough of Englewood Cliffs v. Trautner, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). This appeal presented the question of whether municipalities can be liable to pay sanctions for frivolous litigation, under the Frivolous Litigation Statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:15-59.1 ("the FLS"). In a 5-0 opinion written by Justice Fasciale (Chief Justice Rabner and Justice Hoffman did not participate), the Court affirmed, as modified, the decision of the Appellate Division that upheld the Law Division's imposition of FLS sanctions against the Borough....

The "Castle Doctrine"

State v. Bragg, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). A jury found defendant guilty of twelve charged counts, including attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault, terroristic threats, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, endangering, and two lesser-included offenses of harassment. Some of those charges involved the use of deadly force. Persons may not use deadly force if the can retreat with complete safety. But under the "castle doctrine," an exception to the general rule, a person "is not obliged to retreat from his dwelling, unless he was the initial aggressor." N.J.S.A. 2C:3-4(b)(2)(b)(i). That doctrine derives from the common law....

No Arbitrariness in Rejection of Public Construction Bid That Failed to Include a Properly Signed, Required Consent of Surety

In the Matter of Protest Filed by El Sol Contracting and Construction Corp., Contract T100.638, ___ N.J. ___ (2025). This public bidding case resulted in a 5-2 split at the Supreme Court, the first non-unanimous ruling of the current Term. Justice Hoffman wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Fasciale authored the dissent for himself and Justice Pierre-Louis....