I learned over the weekend that Stephen W. Townsend, the former Clerk of the Supreme Court had died. His obituary states that the date of his death was April 22. read more

Today, May 1, is Law Day. Law Day was first celebrated on February 3, 1958, when President Eisenhower issued a proclamation establishing it. read more

On this day in 1975, the Supreme Court decided Lind v. Schmid, 67 N.J. 255 (1975). It has been cited well over one hundred times and is still a leading authority on malicious prosecution. read more

New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, Inc. v. Mazda Motors of America, ___ F.3d ___ (3d Cir. 2020). In Hunt v. Washington State Apple Advertising Comm’n, 432 U.S. 333 (1977), the Supreme Court of the United States held that an association can have standing to sue on behalf of its members if (a) its members would have had standing to sue in their own right, (b) the interests it seeks to protect are germane to the organization’s purpose, and (c) neither the claim asserted nor the relief requested requires the participation of individual members in the lawsuit. In this case, the District Court rejected association standing based on failure to satisfy factor (b). But the Third Circuit, applying de novo review, reversed in an opinion by Judge Greenberg (no relation). read more

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: read more

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. It’s also Administrative Professionals Day, an opportunity for attorneys to recognize how essential our non-attorney staff is to our legal practice. Today is also the anniversary of Goodman v. London Metals Exchange, Inc., 86 N.J. 19 (1981). The Court’s unanimous opinion in that case, written by Justice Schreiber, has been cited in 178 court decisions since, according to a computer search. read more

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: read more

With Passover beginning tonight, there won’t be any posts on this blog until April 17 at the earliest. In calendar order, happy Passover, and happy Easter, to those who are celebrating. And, to everyone, stay healthy and safe. read more