New Jersey Criminal Law
What is Reasonable & Articulable Suspicion mean in New Jersey in the confines of a motor vehicle stop??
State v. Nelson, New Jersey Supreme Court Decided May 8, 2019 — Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. We therefore consider whether a reasonable and articulable suspicion beyond that which justified the stop supported the canine sniff. See Dunbar, 229 N.J. at 540 (“[I]f an officer has articulable reasonable suspicion independent from the reason…
Read MoreNEWS FLASH, NJ Supreme Court Rules: Motor Vehicle stop extended for 40 minutes in order to wait for Drug Sniffing dog deemed acceptable in New Jersey
State v. Nelson, New Jersey Supreme Court Decided May 8, 2019 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Commentary: The court rules that a 40 minute wait for a drug sniffing dog to arrive based on relatively flimsy ‘independent reasonable and articulable suspicion” of the detective who conducted a motor vehicle stop was not…
Read MoreUnlawful Possession for Weapon Protective Sweep by police at scene of Motor Vehicle Stop
There must be specific and articulable facts that, at the time of the search of a vehicle, a person is capable of gaining immediate control of a weapon or weapons Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Ortiz New Jersey Appellate Division May 6, 2019 (Not Approved for Publication) Facts: The salient…
Read MoreStandard of review Suppression of Evidence Pre-State v. Witt (Pena-Flores Standard of Review) Motor Vehicle Stop New Jersey
State v. Ortiz New Jersey Appellate Division May 6, 2019 (Not Approved for Publication) Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In reviewing a motion to suppress evidence, this court must defer to the trial court’s fact findings underlying its decision, “so long as those findings are supported by sufficient credible evidence in the…
Read MoreState v. James L. Rogers NJ Appellate Division Decided May 3, 2019 (Not Approved for Publication)
State v. James L. Rogers Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Pertinent Facts: The defendant was brought to the police department and advised he will have to submit to the Alcotest. Both at the scene and after he was taken to the police station, defendant was uncooperative and confrontational. On the charge for…
Read MoreState v. James Rogers Decided May 3, 2019 New Jersey Appellate Division (Not Approved for Publication) Appealing a Municipal Court Conviction — Standard of Review
State v. James Rogers Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. An appeal of a municipal court conviction must first be addressed by the Law Division de novo. R. 3:23-8. The role of the Law Division is to make independent findings of facts and conclusions of law based on the record developed in the…
Read MoreSearch of Motor Vehicle based on Smell of Weed and Headlight OUT ONLY!
State v. Juan Rodriguez May 3, 2019 NJ Appellate Division (Approved for Publication) Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Facts: The pertinent facts that emerged at the suppression hearing were substantially undisputed by the parties. On January 1, 2018, Police Officer Kevin Olah of Warren Township was in a marked patrol vehicle at a gas station…
Read MoreAppealing PTI Denial – Posting Nude Photos of victim – Revenge Porn
State v. Chow, N.J. Super. App. Div. Decided April 302, 2019 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. The state appealed from an order that admitted defendant into the Middlesex County Pretrial Intervention Program over its objection. Defendant had been charged with two counts of third-degree invasion of privacy for posting nude photographs of a…
Read MoreRestitution: Do I have to Pay it and does the court have to consider my ability to pay?
Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Restitution has become an additional area of criminal litigation in recent years. As a result the appellate courts have ruled that even if restitution has to be paid, the trial court must conduct a hearing addressing whether the defendant has the ability to pay given his/her particular…
Read MoreExtreme Risk Protective Order Statute Discussion
Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. The New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has issued a proposed new rule to the Court Rules to effectuate the Emergent Preventive Order Statute that was recently enacted by the New Jersey legislature in 2018. This statute authorizes law-enforcement or any other interested party to…
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