Stuff Hanging from the Rear View Mirror Can Lead to Big Trouble

Steven J. Richardson | February 5, 2010

Many of us, I am sure, have a bad habit of hanging things from our rear view mirrors.  I am not talking about parking garage passes and smaller items; I mean those things that hang down a ways from the mirror itself.  This can be a problem.  New Jersey law, under NJSA 39:3-74, states that [...]

U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Issue of Warrantless Entry of Home

Steven J. Richardson | December 8, 2009

One of the basic freedoms and civil rights we enjoy is the right to privacy in our own homes.   Law enforcement must have some probable cause, or exigent (i.e. emergency) circumstances to enter a citizen’s home without a warrant.  There is a whole body of court opinions in our jurisprudence that talk about what those [...]

Weaving in the Road: Probable Cause for a DWI Stop

Steve | January 13, 2009

Any time the police stop a motorist, they must have probable cause to do so.  When it comes to drunk driving, this cause is often based on the driver weaving in the road, resulting in one of the tickets being  for “failure to maintain lane” under New Jersey statute 39:4-88(b).   In the case of State [...]