The Supreme Court Year in Review analyzed the most consequential criminal, family and civil cases from the past year.
The seminar, a staple of the NJSBA Annual Meeting, brought together a panel of six judges from across the state to discuss cases that examined everything from palimony, slip and fall, child abuse and the “Three Strikes Law.” NJSBA President Domenick Carmagnola moderated the panel that including state Supreme Court Justices Barry T. Albin, Anne M. Patterson and Lee A. Solomon, along with Judges Jeanne T. Covert, Deborah Venezia and Lisa P. Thorton.
Solomon detailed influential criminal cases decided in the last year. One case, State v. Samuel Ryan, scrutinized New Jersey’s “Three Strikes Law” and whether it applied to juvenile crimes.
The case involved Samuel Ryan, a man who committed armed robbery while he was 16, then committed two additional armed robberies at age 23 after his release. Ryan was sentenced to life without parole after his conviction on the third robbery. The sentence adhered to a 1995 state law that mandates a life term for repeat offenders convicted of certain types of violent crimes.
In a split decision, the state Supreme Court upheld the sentence, ruling that crimes committed as a juvenile may serve as one of the “strikes” for imposing a life sentence.
“The ‘Three Strikes Law’ thus applies to those adult offenders who have forfeited the opportunity to attempt rehabilitation, having failed repeatedly to desist from serious criminal conduct,” Solomon said.
Other cases covered during the wide-ranging discussion included:
State v. Kanem Williamson
New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency v. J.R.-R.
Aleice Jeter v. Sam's Club
Libertarians for Transparent Government v. Cumberland County were: