State v. Alvarez, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2022); State v. Chau, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2022). These two opinions, issued today, were both authored by Judge Accurso. Both decisions dealt with the defendant’s assertion of ineffective assistance of counsel in the context of potential deportation of that defendant for the crime(s) alleged. Both cases also involved the interplay between counsel who defended the criminal case and dealt with a guilty plea, on the one hand, and immigration counsel who advised the defendant about the potential effect of pleading guilty, or not...

Today, Chief Justice Rabner issued the 2022-2023 General Assignment Order. From an appellate perspective, the headline news is that Judges Fisher, Sabatino, and Fasciale have been temporarily assigned to the Supreme Court effective September 1. The Chief Justice issued an order to that effect today as well, as discussed here. With that having occurred, the lineup of Presiding Judges of Parts of the Appellate Division has changed significantly, as all three judges assigned to the Supreme Court had been Presiding Judges of their respective Parts. Judges Gibbons Whipple (Part A), Currier (Part...

In re New Jersey Transit Award of Contracts No, 21-048A and 21-048B, ___ N.J. Super. ___ (App. Div. 2022). Published opinions from appellate courts about stays are relatively rare. Today, however, the Appellate Division, speaking through Judge Accurso, produced such an opinion. The context was a bidding competition for certain bus routes that unfolded before New Jersey Transit (“NJT”), which had issued a request for proposal (“RFP”) and was statutorily empowered to award the two contracts at issue. There were only two bidders: Academy Express, LLC and Orange, Newark,...