The Supreme Court announced two more criminal cases that have been added to its calendar.  One is there by virtue of a dissent in the Appellate Division, while the Court granted certification in the other matter. In State v. Vasco, the question presented, as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk’s Office, is “Under the circumstances presented, did defendant provide an adequate factual basis for his guilty plea to fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(d)?”  In the Appellate Division, a two-judge majority upheld defendant’s conviction for fourth...

Kadonsky v. Lee, 452 N.J. Super. 198 (App. Div. 2017).  In this appeal, plaintiff petitioned the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (“the Division”) to have marijuana rescheduled from a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous Substance to a Schedule IV or V substance.  The Controlled Dangerous Substances Act, N.J.S.A. 24:21-1 to -56, which gives the Director of the Division power to add, delete, or reschedule controlled substances.  Plaintiff noted that when the Legislature passed the Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act, N.J.S.A. 24:6I-1 to -16 (“CUMMA”), in 2010,...

New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission v. DiVincenzo, 451 N.J. Super. 554 (App. Div. 2017).  In 2011, the New Jersey Election Law Commission (“ELEC”), an independent four-member body that enforces the Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act, N.J.S.A. 19:44A-1 to -77 (‘the Act”), voted unanimously to investigate alleged violations of that statute by in the 2011 election for Essex County Executive by Joseph DiVincenzo and his campaign treasurer, Jorge Martinez.  By 2013, however, one ELEC member died and another, Walter (now Justice) Timpone,...