State v. Greene, ___ N.J. ___ (2020). Until today, the Supreme Court “has not had occasion to squarely address a prosecutor’s opening statement that detailed evidence of a defendant’s guilt that never materialized because the anticipated witness refused to testify.” So wrote Justice Albin in the Court’s unanimous opinion today. The context was as follows. Two defendants, Greene and Lewis, were prosecuted for murder after they allegedly shot someone while trying to steal drugs from him. Greene’s grandmother, Ethel Smith, gave a recorded statement to police....

In re Adoption of a Child by C.J., ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2020). This opinion, issued today,must have been a very distasteful opinion for Judge Koblitz to write. As will be seen, the bottom line is “to be continued,” so quoting the first paragraph of the opinion in full and inviting readers to look at the rest of the decision for the unfortunate details suffices for today: “We write to emphasize that an attorney has an obligation to inform the court if he or she is not able to handle an assigned matter professionally due to a lack of expertise and inability to...

On February 25, from noon- 2 PM, NJICLE will presenting a webinar titled “Do’s and Don’ts of Appellate Practice.” I will be a panelist, along with Judges Koblitz and Sumners and Marie Hanley, Chief Counsel to the Appellate Division. This will be a great opportunity to get practice insights from two experienced appellate judges, as well as perspectives on the applicable Court Rules from the Appellate Division’s Chief Counsel, all from the convenient location of your own desk. You can sign up for this webinar...