The New Jersey Supreme Court issued two opinions from May 1-7. As of May 7, the court issued 19 opinions in 2023 — three fewer than this point a year ago. The two opinions are below:
- New Jersey v. Torres, where the court affirmed a trial court’s opinion “holding that the seizure of defendant’s clothing was valid as a search incident to arrest under the totality of the circumstances.”
- New Jersey v. Miranda, where the court “determined N.D. had apparent authority to consent to the officer’s search of the storage trailer. However, the exigent-circumstances exception to the warrant requirement did not justify the officer’s search of the black bag or his seizure of the weapons in that bag, and the denial of defendant’s motion to suppress [the weapons found in the black bag] constituted error.”
From May 1-7, state supreme courts issued 156 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 22. State supreme courts in Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 91 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 65.
The New Jersey Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Stuart Rabner. The court issued 55 opinions in 2022 and 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,357 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,315 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 1,042. New Jersey is a Democratic trifecta, meaning Democrats control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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