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

The Supreme Court Will Review a UCC Case, an Important Discovery Issue, and Another Criminal Case

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in three more cases. In Granata v. Broderick, the question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's Office, is "Among...

A New Test for Statute of Limitations Choice of Law Decisions: Restatement Section 142

Scheeler v. Office of the Governor, 448 N.J. Super. 333 (App. Div. 2017). In these consolidated appeals, plaintiffs each sent requests under the Open Public Records Act, N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1 to...

A Murder and Arson Case for the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in State v. Prall. The question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk's Office, is "In this trial for murder...

33 Years Since Mount Laurel II

Today is inauguration day for Donald Trump. He and his designee to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson, might take a lesson from a decision...

"Pent-Up" Demand for Low and Moderate Income Housing Must be Accounted for as Part of "Present Need"

In re Declaratory Judgment Actions Filed by Various Municipalities, 227 N.J. 508 (2017). In the Appellate Division decision in this case, reported at 446 N.J. Super. 259 (App. Div. 2016),...

Another Child Abuse and Neglect Case, and a Criminal Case With Constitutional Law Issues, Will be Before the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court announced today that it has granted review in two new cases. The first, New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency v. A.B., is before the Court...

Sovereign Immunity Prevails, But the State Police Still Lose

Royster v. New Jersey State Police, 227 N.J. 482 (2017). Today's decision is a unique one. Writing for the majority of five Justices (Justices LaVecchia, Patterson, Fernandez-Vina, Solomon, and Timpone),...

The Third Circuit Will Post Video of Certain Oral Arguments

Last Friday, the Third Circuit announced that it will begin to post on its website, www.ca3,uscourts.gov, "videos of oral arguments in select cases," more specifically, those that are "deemed to...

Volunteer Emergency Medical Technician is Not a "Public Servant" for Purposes of the Official Misconduct Statute

State v. Morrison, 227 N.J. 295 (2016). In today's unanimous opinion by Justice Albin, the issue was whether a volunteer emergency medical technician ("EMT") is a "public servant" who can...

The Supreme Court Will Review a Big Constitutional Law Case, Three Criminal Appeals, and an Insurance Coverage Case

This morning, the Supreme Court announced that it will review five more cases. Three of those are criminal cases, one is an insurance coverage case, and one is a constitutional...

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"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....