The appellate courts have not been idle since the most recent post on this blog. Opinions have been issued, the Supreme Court has taken up more cases for review, and the Appellate Division has entered an Order about scheduling in light of the Covid-19 situation. Here are some summaries: The Supreme Court issued these opinions, the most recent of which (listed first below) was announced this morning: Barla v. Cliffside Park Bd. of Educ., ___ N.J. ___ (2020). At issue, on cross-motions for summary judgment, was the effect of a 2015 collective bargaining agreement that reduced a cap on...

As announced by Chief Justice Rabner here, the July Bar examination has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. But that situation, the Supreme Court has concluded, after consulting with the Deans of New Jersey’s law schools and “leaders of the bar,” has given rise to “a continuing and growing need for legal services in many critical areas” that newly admitted lawyers can help to satisfy. Accordingly, the Court is permitting “2020 graduates of ABA accredited law schools who have not previously taken the bar examination” to practice law...

Chief Justice Rabner has announced the lineup of Appellate Division Parts for the coming summer. The schedule consists of six 14-day “Sessions,” beginning on June 15 and ending on September 6. Each Session has two-judge Parts, one of whom is designated as the Presiding Judge, with specific judges named to each Part. No judge will sit during more than one Session. The first three Sessions, from June 15-July 26, have three Parts each, while the final three Sessions, covering July 27-September 6, have two Parts each. Presumably, this reflects an expectation that there will be fewer...