Individuals and groups reserve the unalienable rates to feel safe and secure on their own property. When someone disrespects private property and violates the law by unlawfully trespassing, New Jersey takes this violation seriously and may charge the alleged trespasser with a petty disorderly persons offense, a disorderly persons offense, or in the most serious
Criminal restraint, as written in the New Jersey criminal code, is charged when a person uses force to prohibit another person from departing a precise location or a possibly dangerous situation with risk of bodily injury. Criminal restraint charges can also be filed in cases of domestic violence. Preventing a spouse or partner from
The Fourth Amendment protects people’s fundamental right to be free from unnecessary governmental intrusion into private spaces. The state may not conduct unreasonable searches of people’s homes, cars, or businesses and seize personal property without probable cause or a warrant. What is unreasonable is the subject of case law since the country’s inception. In a
In New Jersey, domestic violence is a term that describes a pattern of physical, emotional, verbal, or sexual abuse committed against a spouse, ex-spouse, partner, date, or parent of the victim’s child, family, or household member. In many domestic violence cases, a victim reports the alleged abuser’s use or possession of a firearm. In some cases, the
Being a law-abiding New Jersey citizen seems like a straightforward task, but there are many minute ways a person can end up on the wrong side of the law. Engaging in disorderly conduct is one of them
Many people have been pulled over by the police, usually for mundane reasons such as a broken taillight or speeding. A valid traffic stop is one where the police have observed an infraction related to your vehicle. Examples include broken headlights or tail lights, no license plate or expired plates, dark window tint, shattered windows
If a judge ordered you to pay alimony and you fail to pay it, you may be in contempt of court. More often, a spousal support order goes unpaid because someone has difficulty maintaining employment or becomes ill. But sometimes, the bitterness between divorcing spouses is destructive. As a result, the spouse ordered to pay
When the Me Too movement arose in 2006, the first face of the movement was Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer whom over 80 women accused of sexual assault and similar sex crimes. While he was eventually prosecuted and imprisoned, the movement’s second big-name accused was Bill
If you have ever wondered how someone that steals a piece of fruit from the grocery store does not face ten years in prison or if someone convicted of homicide does not face 6 months in jail, it all comes down to the way an offense is graded. Grading occurs by degree of severity.
If you have ever been pulled over, you know that feeling. Your stomach sinks as you glance in the rearview mirror blasted with blue and red flashing lights, probably followed by a siren if you have not noticed the lights soon enough. Maybe you know what you did,