Free Republic

A state appeals court voiced deep concerns Monday about “racial profiling” during criminal trials in New Jersey and directed judges in lower courts to instantly remove any jurors who display conscious or subconscious racist beliefs. The directive stems from a case that resulted in the convictions of two black men imprisoned in 2012 for carjacking a luxury sedan. At their trial, one juror had revealed a “subliminal” and “deeply-rooted, latent racial bias” against African-Americans, said the appeals panel, which overturned the verdict and ordered new court proceedings for both men.“Racial bias is repugnant to any notion of fairness or...

Even after the final bell rings, a school has an obligation to make sure the children in its care are heading home safely, the state Supreme Court ruled yesterday in a unanimous decision that is expected to affect schools across New Jersey. The court found that just as schools are responsible for students' safety during classes, they also must protect them from danger as they are dismissed -- especially young kids like the 9-year-old Pleasantville boy at the center of the case, who was struck by a car after school and paralyzed. "As the school-time trustees of our most cherished...

State Supreme Court Justice Roberto A. Rivera-Soto on Friday denied misusing his position to assist his son in a dispute with another teen on their high school football team. Rivera-Soto "insisted at all times that (the) matter be treated in the ordinary course," according to a legal brief filed in response to an ethics complaint brought against him May 11. "His intent at all times was to avoid any appearance of impropriety," the brief said. "To the extent any person understood (Rivera-Soto's) actions in any different light, (he) regrets that understanding." Rivera-Soto, the first Hispanic on the state Supreme Court,...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A state panel on judicial conduct on Friday filed an ethics complaint against New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto, charging that he improperly allowed the "power and prestige" of his position to help his son in a dispute with another teen on their high school football team. If the six other justices on the state's highest court substantiate the complaint, they could remove Rivera-Soto from the bench or impose a lesser penalty, including a public reprimand, censure or suspension. Rivera-Soto, the first Hispanic on the state Supreme Court, denies any wrongdoing, said his lawyer, Bruce P....

State Supreme Court Justice Roberto Rivera-Soto said yesterday he was "profoundly sorry" and "deeply regretted" that his actions in interceding last year in a dispute between his son and another high school student potentially undermined public trust in the judiciary....... As part of yesterday's filing, Rivera-Soto said he would waive a hearing on the issue "based on my desire to prevent any further harm to the court's reputation." .....

After putting his estranged daughter through four years of college, Arthur Alfaro thought he was finished financially supporting her. But when 22-year-old Lauren Alfaro was accepted into Seton Hall University's graduate program, Superior Court Judge Thomas Zampino told Arthur Alfaro he wasn't off the hook yet. Though he'd already paid more than $125,000 for her undergraduate studies, Zampino ordered Arthur Alfaro to pay another $15,000 for Lauren Alfaro's graduate work. The judge did not lay out his legal reasons or cite legal precedent in the order. The decision, which was handed down on July 21, shocked Arthur Alfaro and his...

In a decision that exposed one of the raw nerves of the criminal justice system, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled yesterday that a juror who cannot put aside personal feelings of racial identification with a defendant must be dismissed. Emphatically declaring that race has no place in the jury room, the high court ruled a trial judge was correct in dismissing a juror who said that, as a black woman with children of her own, she could not "see another young black man going to jail for something really stupid." As a result, Leardee Jenkins, 20, of Franklin...

Criminals can demand that their DNA samples be destroyed after they complete their prison sentences, a state judge ruled yesterday. The ruling by Superior Court Judge Jack Sabatino, who sits in Mercer County, severely limits a 2003 law that requires everyone convicted of a crime to submit a DNA sample. "Once a felon has paid his or her debt to society and has fully resumed civilian life, the state's right to maintain that person's DNA sample withers," Sabatino wrote. Attorney General Peter Harvey said he will "immediately" appeal the ruling, saying it undermines the whole purpose of maintaining a DNA...