In a shift from past opinions, a recent Appellate Division decision provides municipalities and their police departments’ protection from Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) litigation for certain records produced by police officers but ultimately maintained by the judiciary through an electronic system.

Recently, we became pioneers in the realm of a virtual trial. Our litigation was on a fast track -- it involved affordable housing and a challenge to a zoning ordinance. 

With new amendments to the Law Against Discrimination (“LAD”) signed into law last month, New Jersey became the third state in the country to prohibit discrimination against a person’s hair style. 

The New Jersey legislature is getting serious about electric vehicles. On November 6, 2019, it passed S-606 (formerly A-1371) encouraging municipalities to begin planning for expanded electric vehicle ("EV") infrastructure across the state.

The unauthorized use of “dirty dirt” as fill in sites across New Jersey has long been an issue facing municipalities. In October 2019, DEP launched the "Guard Your Backyard" initiative specifically aimed at curbing the dumping of tainted fill in New Jersey communities.

On August 9, 2019, Governor Phil Murphy Assembly Bill A-2004, (the "Bill"), which now permits municipalities in New Jersey to pay non-residential property tax appeal refunds over a period of three years.   

In Parts 1 and 2 of this series, we discussed the circumstances that led to the planned phase-out of the London Inter-bank Offered Rate, commonly referred to as “LIBOR” and the proposed replacement rate known as the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). In this last part of the series, we will present the proposed language recommended by the Alternative Reference Rate Committee (“ARRC”) to be used in new contracts that reference LIBOR.

The New Jersey Constitution allows disabled veterans to benefit from special local property tax treatment in the form of a total exemption. The intent of the exemption, in part, is to compensate veterans for the experiences of war and to acknowledge their sacrifices.

The biggest threat I have with my kids is to take away their phones. Now, apparently a New Jersey Mayor feels the same way, trying to confiscate phones during public meetings.

Public records requests remain a minefield of issues for both the custodian and the requestor. Custodians must follow a step-by-step process to ensure compliance with the law and requestors must be specific or they may not obtain the documents they seek.