NJSBA HQ NJSBA headquarters, New Brunswick, NJ. Credit: Google

Capitol Report

NJSBA to be heard as amicus in matter involving marijuana expungements and PTI

The state Appellate Division accepted the New Jersey State Bar Association's (NJSBA) amicus brief in State v. Gomes (A-3477-20). The case concerns the question of whether a person who has previously participated in pretrial intervention (PTI) for an offense now expungable due to the passage of the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act (CREAMMA) is again eligible for PTI services.

Arguing clear legislative intent, the NJSBA said individuals who received PTI for a now-expungable marijuana offense should not be precluded from a future PTI, as a result of the statute barring more than one admittance to the program. There are four cases being considered by the Appellate Division highlighting the lack of uniformity in the interpretation of CREAMMA and the PTI statute, an issue the NJSBA further highlighted. The Criminal Law Section's Chair-Elect Michael Roberts wrote the brief.