State v. Anderson, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2020). Defendant, formerly employed by the Jersey City Tax Assessor’s office, pled guilty to a federal criminal charge of interference with commerce by extortion under color of official right for accepting a $300 bribe to alter the description of a two-unit dwelling to a three-unit dwelling. After that plea, the State filed suit seeking, among other things, the complete forfeiture of defendant’s pension and related retirement benefits. N.J.S.A. 43:1-3.1 mandated pension forfeiture upon a conviction such as that here. Proceeding...

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted certification in State v. Ahmad, an appeal from a manslaughter conviction. The question presented there, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk’s office, is “Was defendant’s statement obtained in violation of Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)?” A three-judge panel of the Appellate Division, in an unpublished opinion, affirmed the ruling of the Law Division that there was no Miranda violation in the police’s questioning of defendant. Now the Supreme Court will consider the...

Felix v. Richards, ___ N.J. ___ (2020). This ruling of the Supreme Court today saw only five Justices participating since Justices Patterson and Timpone were recused. The remaining five Justices split 3-2. Justice LaVecchia wrote the majority opinion, in which Chief Justice Rabner and Justice Albin joined. Justice Fernandez-Vina, joined by Justice Solomon, dissented. The case involved New Jersey’s “deemer” statute, N.J.S.A. 17:28-1.4. That statute implements New Jersey’s statutory scheme that requires insurers who choose to write automobile insurance policies in New...