State vs. Michael Maltese, NJ Supreme Court

August 26, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Issue:   Post Arrest invocation of right to an Attorney.  Was the defendant’s request to speak to his family during an interrogation enough to invoke his right to remain silent? Once you ask to speak to a family member, you have invoked your right to counsel in…

Expungement of prior crimes—– Crimes not committed in “one continuous uninterrupted time period can not be expunged” even hours apart!

August 24, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In the Matter of the Expungement Petition of J.S. (A-84-13) (073376) In the Matter of the Expungement of the Criminal Records of G.P.B. (A-2-14) (074541) In these appeals, the Court determines whether N.J.S.A. 2C:52-2(a), which permits the expungement of a conviction for certain indictable offenses if the…

State vs. Shannon: Supreme Court 3-3 Stalemate Means No “Good Faith Exception” to the Exclusionary Rule

August 21, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. The 3-3 split in State v. Shannon on Aug. 19 means an Appellate Division ruling that evidence seized after an arrest based on an invalid arrest warrant must be suppressed is affirmed. Justice LaVecchia stated specifically opposing the Attorney General’s position in their brief, “We decline to carve out…

No Reaching into the Glove Compartment

August 10, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. Legality of an Officer Entering a Vehicle without Permission State v. Keaton, decided August 3, 2015 by the N.J. Supreme Court touches on the following issue that may be important to readers. Does an officer have a right to enter your vehicle for the supposed purpose of…

A Chance at a Second Chance: DNA Testing May Expand

August 3, 2015

Written by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. A new bill passed in the N.J. legislature concerning DNA and criminal defendants. In the past, a defendant had to be incarcerated in order to request possible innocence-proving DNA testing, but now that could change if Governor Chris Christie approves the bill. If the bill became law…

Dropped 9-1-1 Call Not An Emergency By Itself But May Support Application of Emergency Aid Doctrine to Police entry of Home

July 22, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. This blog has discussed exceptions to Fourth Amendment protections on numerous occasions, and the discussion often circles back to exigency. Exigent circumstances sometimes provide a legitimate basis for police to intrude, and at other times unfortunately are used as an excuse to circumvent your rights. It all…

Always on the Clock: Public Employees May Lose Pensions for Crimes Committed Outside Work

July 9, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. According to the 2013 U.S. census, New Jersey has 131,542 public employees including judges, lawyers, corrections officers, and transit workers just to name a few. Many public employees look forward to the benefits of the Public Employees’ Retirement System. But, if you are convicted of a crime…

Driving While Administratively Suspended May Remain Indictable Offense

July 3, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Perry et. al. is a case against several defendants that was consolidated for decision because the same legal issues were at play in all of the cases. It has to do with N.J.S.A. 2C:40-26(a)(b) which makes driving while suspended a fourth degree criminal offense with…

Parking Lots May Be Structures In Burglary Cases

June 30, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Olivero, decided June 29th, resulted in a unanimous opinion from the New Jersey Supreme Court deciding the question: Does a parking lot constitute a structure as would make someone criminally liable for burglary under N.J.S.A. 2C:18-2a? N.J.S.A. 2C:18‑2a insofar as it is applicable to this…

Don’t Wait on Miranda to Protect You

June 26, 2015

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. State v. Monterotorivo, is an appeal decided by the Appellate Division on June 16th, concerning a motion to suppress evidence in the form of defendant’s statements to police officers. The case arose out of an incident where defendant allegedly stated publicly that he intended to kill an…

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