Under New Jersey’s civil service laws, all state, plus many county and local government workers have the same rights and protections as any private sector employee would have. Civil Service was put into place to keep politics, nepotism and favoritism out of employment decisions, ensuring citizens would have the best possible government workforce. This means [...]
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Aug, 2020Confrontation Clause: All You Need to Know
Wrapping up our series on the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution, we're talking about the confrontation clause. If you're new to this series, check out our blogs on your right to an impartial jury, assistance of counsel, a speedy trial, and notice of accusation. We're reviewing some of the important aspects of this amendment [...]
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Aug, 2020Right to Impartial Jury
For the past several weeks we’ve been breaking down the most important statements in the Sixth Amendment. Our goal has been to define and explain all the rights you have according to that amendment. It’s important to know your rights so that you can defend yourself, and hire the best attorney to defend your rights. [...]
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Jul, 2020Speedy Trial Clause in the Sixth Amendment
Continuing our series on the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution, today we're taking a look at the speedy trial clause. We've already examined the notice of accusation clause last week. But we want to make sure we cover our bases since understanding the sixth amendment is vital to civil rights conversations these days. After [...]
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Jun, 2020What is Qualified Immunity?
In the past month, Libertarian U.S. Representative from Michigan, Justin Amash, has proposed a bill to Congress that would end qualified immunity for government officials. With everything going on in the United States over the past few months, discussions on civil rights have dominated the public square. This proposal is no exception. In order to [...]
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Jun, 2020The Freedom of Assembly in New Jersey
Every US citizen has the freedom of assembly thanks to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. But what exactly does this mean? What about freedom of assembly in New Jersey? If you’re curious about your civil rights, you’ve come to the right place. In the past, our blog has covered your rights when [...]
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May, 2020Know Your Rights When Under Arrest
If someone unjustly attacks you and puts your life at risk, you are allowed to defend yourself. But what do you do if that person is a police officer? It’s a hard question. There’s no easy answer. Officers are called to protect and serve the people. But sometimes they wrongfully harm citizens. That’s where rights [...]
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May, 2020Current Laws and Guidelines for Re-opening New Jersey
Spring has dawned and there are few things anyone wants to do more than go outside, meet with friends, and enjoy the weather. However, COVID-19 remains a danger for a lot of us. Yet, without patrons, many businesses have been forced to close. Beach communities rely on beach-goers and shoobies to sustain themselves. Without them, [...]
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Apr, 2020Tips for Social Distancing During COVID-19
Maybe you’ve heard about some of the cases of people getting arrested for not following social distancing rules. Whatever you think about social distancing rules – whether you think they’re violations of our rights, are important rules to follow, or a little bit of both – it’s important to know them! So, along with washing [...]
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Dec, 2019Your Right to Due Process
In our series about the Fifth Amendment, we’ve covered pleading the fifth and double jeopardy. In a lot of ways, you could consider these as continuations of our series on legal jargon. Today, we cover “due process.” You may have heard that phrase thrown around. What is it? How does it work? What does it [...]