As New Jersey's new bail system continues to get a shakeout, a state appeals court ruled Friday that a defendant's pregnancy cannot be the overriding factor in deciding whether to release her pending trial.

In a published decision, a three-judge Appellate Division panel said the judge below—tasked with determining the pretrial status of defendant Imani Williams—overstepped his authority when he ruled that Williams should not face pretrial detention because she was eight weeks' pregnant at the time of her hearing.

Appellate Division Judge Heidi Currier, joined by Judges Carmen Alvarez and Richard Geiger, said pregnancy was only one of a wide variety of factors that should be considered, and ordered Williams to be held pending trial on robbery and assault charges.