TRENTON — Public officials in New Jersey who also serve in leadership positions in churches or organizations are barred from voting on zoning applications for sites within 200 feet of their church or organization, the state Supreme Court ruled Monday. But New Jersey’s highest court stopped short of saying officials who simply are members of the… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — The public is not entitled to numerous police records — from investigation reports and dashboard video recordings to daily log sheets and communications between officers — under the state’s public records law, a state appeals panel ruled Thursday. At a time of heightened scrutiny of police actions, the court found those records and more… Read the rest of this entry »
It was just four years ago that Gov. Chris Christie and Democrats in the Legislature struck a deal on a bipartisan plan to address years of underfunding the public-employee pension system. The legislation mandated increased contributions into the system from both from the state and its workers.… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — In a blow to Gov. Chris Christie a day before he reveals his latest state budget proposal, a state judge ruled today that the governor must restore a $1.57 billion cut he made to public worker pension payments in New Jersey’s current budget. Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided with a group of public… Read the rest of this entry »
Atlantic Highlands Municipal Building
Judge Peter A. Locascio, the Municipal Court Judge in Atlantic Highlands and Highlands, has been accused of Judicial Misconduct by the Disciplinary Counsel of the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct (ACJC). The complaint can be found here.
Locascio is accused of exhibiting “extreme and personal” hostility towards an attorney appearing before him starting in August of 2008 and extending through early 2013, for failing to rule on recusal motions by that attorney after he was ordered to do so by his Assignment Judge, of using the powers of his office to his personal benefit and of conflicts of interest in allowing his personal attorney, a close personal friend, to appear before his court.
The attorney involved was not named in the complaint. “It could be several people,” said one member of the Monmouth County legal community speaking off the record, “Locascio is known to be caustic and vindictive.”
A complaint by the ACJC disciplinary counsel is an indication that an investigation into the initial complaint produced enough evidence to warrant an hearing before the committee. If after the hearing the committee determines that the Judge did violate the Code of Judicial Conduct the matter is referred to the State Supreme Court for public reprimand, censure, suspension, or removal. If the committee finds after its hearing that there is not clear and convincing evidence of Judicial Misconduct, it makes a recommendation to the Supreme Court to dismiss the complaint with or without private reprimand.
Posted: August 12th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Monmouth County, Monmouth County Court, NJ Courts, NJ Judiciary | Tags: ACJC, Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, Atlantic Highlands, Highlands, Judge Peter A. Locascio, Judicial Misconduct, Peter Locascio | 2 Comments »
A crazy June: Things to look out for in Trenton this month (via NJ.com)
TRENTON — Hold onto your seats. It’s June in Trenton, and that’s always a bumpy ride. With the state budget due by month’s end, horse-trading is rampant as just about everything that was proposed all year long under the Statehouse dome is up…
Chris Christie’s court pick has a pro-choice, anti-free press record (via NJ.com)
Don’t look now, but our self-avowed “pro-life” governor just nominated a pro-choicer to the state Supreme Court. I’m not talking about Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, the liberal Democrat whom Christie reappointed in a deal with the Democrats. If Rabner…
Explainer: How Do Our Judges Make It to the Bench in New Jersey? (via NJSpotlight)
The current judicial crisis offers and excellent opportunity to take a look at how New Jersey chooses and installs its judges — and how that process differs from many other states. In 38 states, at least some appellate and major trial court judges…
© Copyright 2024 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved