Appellate Division arguments to be heard at Law Center

For the first time, a three-judge panel of the New Jersey Judiciary's Appellate Division will hear its May 3 docket at the home of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Arguments will start at 9:30 a.m. in the Wilentz Auditorium. They are open to the public to attend. A calendar of the cases to be heard that day will be posted on the New Jersey Judiciary website, njcourts.gov.

The session presents a unique opportunity for members of the association to have easy access to watch an appeals court in action. In New Jersey, the Appellate Division judges hear appeals from decisions of the trial and tax courts and state administrative agencies. The division handles about 6,500 appeals and 10,000 motions a year, according to the state Judiciary's website.

There are eight so-called “parts” of the division. Each part consists of four judges. Part B will be at the Law Center session. The judges assigned to that part are: Marie P. Simonelli, Michael J. Haas, Garry S. Rothstadt, and Greta Gooden Brown.

The New Jersey Supreme Court has previously held arguments on the road at law schools in Newark and Camden. The historic context of judges travelling to hear cases is called “riding the circuit.” The practice dates back to the start of the federal Judiciary.

NJSBA appears before Supreme Court as friend of the court

Howard Geneslaw, of Gibbons PC, argued before the Supreme Court this month on behalf of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

The case was DunbarHomes, Inc. v. The Zoning Board of Adjustment of the Township of Franklin, which asked: When is a submission to the planning board considered an “application for development” that triggers the “time of application rule?”

To read the full brief, visit njsba.com.