New Jersey RULE 3:28. Pretrial Intervention Programs

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark State vs. A.S. Here is a brief review of the PTI standard and law governing the Prosecutor’s PTI program in New Jersey New Jersey’s PTI program is governed by N.J.S.A. 2C:43-12 and the Supreme Court’s guidelines for implementation, set forth in Rule 3:28. Generally, individuals with no…

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Definition of “Significant” Injury in an Assault Case

State vs. Regan  Definition of “significant” Injury in an Assault Case — temporary loss of any bodily member or organ or ‘temporary loss of any one of the five senses.” Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In this case there was a question of fact regarding what this individual defendant did to cause…

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Prosecutorial Misconduct Can Be a Ground for Reversal

Prosecutorial misconduct can be a ground for reversal where the prosecutor’s misconduct was so egregious that it deprived the defendant of a fair trial. State vs. Regan   Appellate Division February 9, 2016 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. This case was won and or lost by the prosecutor based on several witness’ testimony…

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State v. Thorpe: Standard of Review by Appellate Court of Trial Court’s Determination

Appellate review of trial court determination  Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. 14-2-8702 State v. Thorpe , App. Div. (per curiam) (11 pp.)  This is an important case addressing the need by the police to independently verify information received from an anonymous caller to establish their own probable cause for the search, arrest and eventual charging of a criminal…

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State vs. Witt — Blog #4 Issue Failure to Dim Headlights as Probable Cause

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. THE KEY TO THIS ARGUMENT:   THE DEFENDANT FAILED TO RAISE THIS ISSUE AT THE TRIAL LEVEL VIA A MOTION TO SUPPRESS THEREFORE THE APPELLATE COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE REVIEWED THE ISSUE:NEVERTHELESS, IMPLICIT IN THE ARGUMENT IS A HUGE INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE ARGUMENT! THE COURT OUTLINED THE FACTS PERTAINING…

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State vs. Scaltrito: Issue — Ineffective Assistance of Counsel at a Plea Hearing.

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. This is a case addressing a defendant’s claim that a) his attorney did not properly represent him during a criminal proceeding and subsequent plea. Specifically the defendant argued to the court his defense attorney told him he would get into ISP (Intensive Supervised Parole within 14-18 months after…

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The Most Important Blog You’ll Read if You Drive In New Jersey

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. This is the third blog in a series of blogs about the recent N.J. Supreme Court decision in State v. Witt—one of the most controversial cases in recent memory. The last two blogs discussed the facts of the case, and the history of case law in New…

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State v. Witt Part II: The Confusion of Exigency

 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. A previous blog presented the facts of State v. Witt and explained that up until now Pena-Flores was the governing case in New Jersey when it came to warrantless vehicle searches. Under that case a police officer must meet three requirements to search a vehicle without a…

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New Jersey Criminal Law: State v. DeLoach

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. CRIMINAL LAW 14-2-7499 State v. DeLoach, App. Div. (per curiam) (20 pp.) Issue: Facts presented to the court at a Motion to Suppress:  What is the court allowed to rely upon and base its decisions. Key Issue:  The court must make finds of fact and conclusions of credibility…

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