As 2021 Winds Down, the Supreme Court Takes Up Two More Cases

The Supreme Court announced that it has granted review in two more cases. Both involved grants of certification. One appeal, a civil matter, is from a published opinion by a three-judge panel of the Appellate Division, while the other is an unpublished two-judge ruling in a criminal case.

In re DiGuglielmo presents this question (as phrased by the Supreme Court Clerk’s office): “Is a campus police officer at a public college or university eligible for special disciplinary arbitration administered by the Public Employment Relations Commission?” In an opinion reported at 465 N.J. Super. 20 (App. Div. 2020), the Appellate Division reversed the ruling of the Public Employment Relations Commission that DiGuglielmo was eligible for special disciplinary arbitration under the applicable statute.

In State v. Bookman, the question presented is “When police officers attempt to execute an Automated Traffic System warrant and the subject flees, is it permissible for officers to enter a third party’s home under the hot pursuit doctrine?” The Appellate Division rejected defendant’s position that the police search was wrongful, and the panel affirmed his conviction on a weapons charge.