Continuing our series on legal immunity, we're looking at federal and state immunity today. You can check out our posts on qualified immunity, absolute immunity, and sovereign immunity at those links. As you know, along with power distributed between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches in the U.S., it is also distributed between federal, state, [...]

What is sovereign immunity? Recently, we discussed both absolute immunity and qualified immunity. Each of these are specific forms of "sovereign immunity." In today's blog, we'll flesh out what this legal doctrine means, and its relevant to you. First, according to the Legal Information Institute, sovereign immunity means that "the government cannot be sued without [...]

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 [...]

Last week, we covered some basics about the fifth amendment. Namely, we answered, “What does plead the fifth mean?” This week we’re covering another right protected by the fifth amendment: protection from double jeopardy. We’ll give a basic definition of double jeopardy, cover some double jeopardy laws, and tell you other ways you can protect [...]

“I plead the fifth.” You may have heard that phrase in a movie, on TV, or even in a real court room setting before. But what does plead the fifth mean? Where does this phrase come from? Well, we’ve covered a lot of courtroom jargon recently, but there’s always more to learn. Furthermore, pleading the [...]

Continuing with our series of blogs on courtroom concepts and lingo, today we’ll be looking at "habeas corpus." You’ve probably heard this term before, but what does it mean? What is habeas corpus? It is a Latin term that literally means “bring forth the body.” However, it doesn’t have to do with dead bodies or [...]

Last week we covered “plausible deniability.” This week we’re covering a related topic: reasonable doubt. What does this mean? How does New Jersey law define it? How does the court apply it? These are important questions if you’re going to understand your own trial and how an effective attorney might handle your case. So, if [...]

“Innocent until proven guilty” is a foundational principle in our country’s legal system, and it holds even when you are stopped by police. After all, your rights are protected by BOTH the US Constitution AND the New Jersey State Constitution. Having a New Jersey police misconduct attorney with a thorough understanding of your rights by [...]