The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed today that Essex County Freeholder Rufus Johnson was carjacked at gunpoint on Saturday evening at approximately 6pm near the 100 block of Montrose Street in Newark. Johnson was in his Mercedes Benz on Saturday when three men approached. One of the men flashed a handgun and ordered Johnson out… Continue Reading
NJ Appellate Division: No Right to Court-Appointed Counsel for DV Litigants
The New Jersey Appellate Division ruled yesterday that indigent domestic violence litigants (both plaintiffs seeking domestic violence restraining orders and defendants opposed same) are not entitled to legal representation at the expense of taxpayers. The 3-judge panel indicated that the kinds of relief available to domestic violence victims “do not result in a ‘consequence of… Continue Reading
US Court of Appeals Rules Ban on Social Media for Sex Offenders Unconstitutional
As a follow-up to yesterday’s blog (wherein I mentioned that the defendant was barred from using social media sites as a condition of his bail), I was surprised to learn that a U.S. Court of Appeals – 7th Circuit (Indiana) had found social media bans for sexual offendersunconstitutional. Yesterday, a federal appeals court held that… Continue Reading
Retrial for Paul Bergrin Begins Today
The retrial is set to begin today in the Federal Courthouse (Newark) for Paul Bergrin, the once-prominent Newark defense lawyer, accused of ordering the murder of a federal drug informant in 2004. Bergrin’s last trial ended in a hung jury more than 400 days ago, after Bergrin raged that he was being set up by… Continue Reading
Nation Honors MLK, Jr. Day – Remembers Nonviolent Gun Control
Today, the nation honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on the same day that it celebrates the inauguration of the first black President to his second term. In Atlanta, GA, an annual service was held at the church where King preached. Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the slain civil rights leader, was… Continue Reading
