New Jersey Case Commentaries

State v. Hannah: Historical CSLI Requires Expert Testimony Under N.J.R.E. 702 (and Lay Testimony Cannot Bypass Net-Opinion Limits)

Date: Apr 20, 2026

Historical CSLI Must Be Presented Through Expert Testimony Under N.J.R.E. 702 Case: State v. Jule Hannah (N.J. Apr. 16, 2026) | Court: Supreme Court of New Jersey | Author: Justice Pierre-Louis...

IRCA Does Not Bar Payment for Work Performed: Undocumented Workers May Recover NJ Wages; Employer Recordkeeping Presumption and N.J.R.E. 403 Limits on “Invalid SSN” Evidence

Date: Mar 21, 2026

IRCA Does Not Bar Payment for Work Performed: Undocumented Workers May Recover NJ Wages; Employer Recordkeeping Presumption and N.J.R.E. 403 Limits on “Invalid SSN” Evidence Case: Sergio Lopez v....

TRC May Set or Modify Island Pierhead Lines Through Individual Tidelands License Decisions Under N.J.S.A. 12:3-19

Date: Mar 20, 2026

TRC May Set or Modify Island Pierhead Lines Through Individual Tidelands License Decisions Under N.J.S.A. 12:3-19 Introduction Case: In the Matter of P.T. Jibsail Family Limited Partnership Tidelands...

Child Victims Act/TCA: Public-School Vicarious Liability for Teacher Sexual Abuse Outside Scope of Employment Under a “Tacit Approval” Standard; No Fiduciary Duty Owed to Individual Students

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Child Victims Act/TCA: Public-School Vicarious Liability for Teacher Sexual Abuse Outside Scope of Employment Under a “Tacit Approval” Standard; No Fiduciary Duty Owed to Individual Students 1....

Tacit-Approval Test for Public School Vicarious Liability Under N.J.S.A. 59:2-1.3(a)(1) (Child Victims Act)

Date: Mar 13, 2026

Tacit-Approval Test for Public School Vicarious Liability Under N.J.S.A. 59:2-1.3(a)(1) (Child Victims Act) Case: Russell Forde Hornor v. Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education (consolidated with...

Cowan v. New Jersey State Parole Board: A Two-Step Justification Requirement for Extended FETs Tied to Recidivism Risk

Date: Mar 12, 2026

Cowan v. New Jersey State Parole Board: A Two-Step Justification Requirement for Extended FETs Tied to Recidivism Risk Court: Supreme Court of New Jersey Date: March 10, 2026 Case: Horace Cowan v....

Cumulative Prosecutorial Prejudice: Pop-Culture Framing, Extra-Evidentiary Violence Narratives, and Search-Warrant “Target” References Can Require a New Trial

Date: Feb 27, 2026

Cumulative Prosecutorial Prejudice: Pop-Culture Framing, Extra-Evidentiary Violence Narratives, and Search-Warrant “Target” References Can Require a New Trial Case: State v. Gerald W. Butler...

No Automatic Re-Summoning of Jury Pools After EO 411 Absent a Proven Fair-Cross-Section Violation (State v. Gilliano)

Date: Feb 27, 2026

No Automatic Re-Summoning of Jury Pools After EO 411 Absent a Proven Fair-Cross-Section Violation (State v. Gilliano) I. Introduction State v. Walter J. Gilliano (Supreme Court of New Jersey, Feb....

State v. Carlton: Erlinger-Based Persistent-Offender Fact-Finding Errors Are Reviewable for Harmlessness; N.J.S.A. 2C:44-3(a) Must Be Legislatively Updated

Date: Feb 25, 2026

Erlinger-Style Jury-Finding Errors Under New Jersey’s Persistent Offender Statute Are Subject to Harmless Error Review (and the Statute Requires Legislative Repair) Case: State v. Jamel Carlton (N.J....

Title IX Equal-Appeal Requirement Preempts One-Sided Union Arbitration in Sexual Harassment Discipline Cases

Date: Jan 31, 2026

Title IX Equal-Appeal Requirement Preempts One-Sided Union Arbitration in Sexual Harassment Discipline Cases Introduction In In the Matter of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey v. AFSCME...

C.A.L. v. State of New Jersey: Heck “Favorable-Termination” Accrual Rule Governs NJCRA (and NJCRA+TCA) Damages Claims that Impugn Parole/Criminal Proceedings

Date: Jan 31, 2026

Heck “Favorable-Termination” Accrual Applies to NJCRA (and NJCRA+TCA) Claims that Necessarily Impugn the Validity of Parole/Criminal Proceedings Case: C.A.L. v. State of New Jersey (A-29-24) (089655)...

Landowner Liability Act Immunity Extends to Rollerblading Accidents in Large County Parks; “Dominant Character” Governs “Premises” Post-1991

Date: Jan 27, 2026

Landowner Liability Act Immunity Extends to Rollerblading Accidents in Large County Parks; “Dominant Character” Governs “Premises” Post-1991 Introduction Andris Arias v. County of Bergen (Supreme...

New Jersey Formally Adopts Restatement (Third) § 51 to Define When Lawyers Owe a Duty of Care to Non-Clients

Date: Jan 21, 2026

New Jersey Formally Adopts Restatement (Third) § 51 to Define When Lawyers Owe a Duty of Care to Non-Clients Case: Despina Alice Christakos v. Anthony A. Boyadjis, Esq. (A-42-24) (090214) Court:...

Facial Unconstitutionality of Categorical Confidentiality Rules: Case-by-Case Disclosure of Medical/Psychological Records in New Jersey Parole Proceedings

Date: Jan 16, 2026

Facial Unconstitutionality of Categorical Confidentiality Rules: Case-by-Case Disclosure of Medical/Psychological Records in New Jersey Parole Proceedings I. Introduction This Supreme Court of New...

Defining “Essential Employees” in Pandemic Workers’ Compensation: Commentary on Giuseppe Amato v. Township of Ocean School District

Date: Dec 14, 2025

Defining “Essential Employees” in Pandemic Workers’ Compensation: Commentary on Giuseppe Amato v. Township of Ocean School District I. Introduction The New Jersey Supreme Court’s per curiam decision...

Independent Certification Discipline Beyond Tenure Arbitration: Commentary on In the Matter of the Certificates of Nicholas Cilento (N.J. 2025)

Date: Dec 12, 2025

Independent Certification Discipline Beyond Tenure Arbitration: Commentary on In the Matter of the Certificates of Nicholas Cilento, Supreme Court of New Jersey (Dec. 9, 2025) I. Introduction The...

Municipal Authority to Withdraw from Merged and Regional School Districts Under N.J.S.A. 18A:13‑47.11: Commentary on In re Verified Petition for the Proposed Creation of a PK‑12 All‑Purpose Regional School District (Sea Bright)

Date: Dec 11, 2025

Municipal Authority to Withdraw from Merged and Regional School Districts Under N.J.S.A. 18A:13‑47.11 Commentary on In re Verified Petition for the Proposed Creation of a PK‑12 All‑Purpose Regional...

Exigent Circumstances at Active Fire Scenes: New Jersey Supreme Court Endorses Totality-of-Circumstances Test for Warrantless Seizure of Evidence

Date: Dec 6, 2025

Exigent Circumstances at Active Fire Scenes: New Jersey Supreme Court Endorses Totality-of-Circumstances Test for Warrantless Seizure of Evidence I. Introduction State v. Paul J. Caneiro, A-1-25...

Unambiguous Intent as the Touchstone for Personal Guaranties: Commentary on Extech Building Materials, Inc. v. E&N Construction, Inc.

Date: Dec 5, 2025

Unambiguous Intent as the Touchstone for Personal Guaranties: Commentary on Extech Building Materials, Inc. v. E&N Construction, Inc. I. Introduction The Supreme Court of New Jersey’s unanimous...

Cross‑Disciplinary Reliability and the Inadmissibility of “Shaking‑Only” Shaken Baby Syndrome / Abusive Head Trauma Testimony Under New Jersey’s Frye Standard

Date: Nov 22, 2025

Cross‑Disciplinary Reliability and the Inadmissibility of “Shaking‑Only” Shaken Baby Syndrome / Abusive Head Trauma Testimony Under New Jersey’s Frye Standard I. Introduction The consolidated...