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N.J. courts to fully re-open amid stunning backlogs, broad vacancies
New Jersey’s courthouses will fully re-open to the public today for the first time since the start of the pandemic, acting Administrative Director of the New Jersey Courts Judge Glenn Grant announced Friday. State courts resumed holding in-person trials and some other on-location services in mid-June, but capacity was limited to 50%. Entry to courthouses […]
Lawmakers announce hate crimes registry bill after Mount Laurel man’s racist tirade
A trio of Burlington County lawmakers have proposed a public hate crimes registry in response to a Mount Laurel resident’s racist tirade against Black neighbors, a rant that was part of an apparent rise in confirmed or suspected hate crimes statewide. The proposed registry would be a searchable database that includes the names, street addresses, […]
Post-birth home nurse visits now required under new law
Headaches wracked Sunmisola Adedonkun in the days after she gave birth. She might have written it off as a minor ailment treatable by over-the-counter pain relievers, but a visit from a home nurse identified the potentially life-threatening postpartum preeclampsia she faced. Today, Adedonkun credits that visit with saving her life. “I rushed to the hospital. […]
History against Murphy as he seeks second term
Despite New Jersey’s stature as a Democratic stronghold, governors belonging to the party haven’t won re-election since Gov. Brendan Byrne secured a second term in 1977. That fact has taken a central role in Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s messaging on the campaign trail, where he frequently urges voters to make Gov. Phil Murphy “one […]
Murphy’s new mask recommendation unlikely to impact gubernatorial race
New masking recommendations issued by Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration are unlikely to have much of an impact on his re-election race, but worsening conditions could necessitate measures with greater political cost. Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli on Wednesday urged residents to don masks in crowded indoor spaces or ones where individuals may not be […]
N.J.’s part-time legislature exposes state to abuse. It’s not likely to change.
In early 2003, reports accusing a top member of the New Jersey Legislature of overbilling municipalities where he served as an attorney began to emerge in the press. They charged that co-Senate President John Bennett sent duplicate bills to Marlboro Township, which his law firm represented. The saga saw party support ebb from Bennett and […]
Election officials warm to N.J. early voting mandate, but worries persist
Election officials are marching toward early voting in this year’s general election with growing confidence, though a slew of technological concerns and some worries over funding remain. Gov. Phil Murphy in March signed a bill creating a nine-day period of early in-person voting preceding each general election, with shorter windows for primaries. The legislation, a […]
N.J. Democratic groups maintain fundraising edge in first half of 2021
Democratic county party organizations continued to outraise their Republican counterparts in the first six months of 2021, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission announced Tuesday. The 21 Democratic county organizations brought in $1.56 million between January and June, while GOP county party committees raised just shy of $870,000. Despite outspending the Republican groups more […]