If You Have Not Been Charged with a Crime, Police Do Not Have to Inform You If You Are Arrested or If You Are a Suspect

State v. Wade Appellate Docket No.: A-4388-18T4 Decided November 23, 2020 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In an unpublished opinion, the Appellate Division of New Jersey reviewed whether a suspect’s statement made to police is admissible when he was wrongfully informed that he was not under arrest. In State v. Wade, a dark-colored…

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New Jersey halts in-person trials, grand jury proceedings due to COVID-19 surge

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. The New Jersey Supreme Court on Monday suspended all in-person trials and grand jury proceedings due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. The order handed down by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner is effective immediately. It’s the second time this year that the pandemic has halted in-person trials…

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Cop Pulled Over Defendant Because He Was Black, No Reasonable Suspicion

State v. Nyema Appellate Docket No.: A-0891-18T4 Decided November 5, 2020 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In a published opinion, the Appellate Division of New Jersey overturned a denial of a motion to suppress when an officer investigating a robbery pulled over the defendant because three black males were in the car headed…

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GRAND JURIES TO RESUME, EXCLUDABLE TIME, AND DISCOVERY MODIFICATIONS FOR CRIMINAL DEFENDANTS IN LIGHT OF COVID-19

October 8, 2020 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. The Supreme Court of New Jersey has issued its Ninth Omnibus Order on Court Operations and Legal Practice during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  The updated provisions are as follows: Reinforcing that grand juries will be selected virtually, and confirming that before December 1, 2020 all…

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The Co-Conspirator Exception to Hearsay Is Important to Understand for Criminal Cases

State v. Lopez Appellate Docket No.: A-1210-19T1 Decided September 23, 2020 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In an unpublished opinion, the Appellate Division of New Jersey reviewed a jury’s conviction and forty-five year aggregate term of parole ineligibility that included text messages admitted into evidence under the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule.…

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State v. Alamilla Appellate Docket No.: A-5952-17T1 Decided September 23, 2020

New Jersey Supreme Court Established bright line ‘probable cause test” in 2015: State v. Alamilla Appellate Docket No.: A-5952-17T1 Decided September 23, 2020 Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark. In an unpublished opinion, the Appellate Division of New Jersey reviewed a trial court’s denial of a motion to suppress 15 soil bags of marijuana…

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