NJSBA Daily Briefing: 09/22/2026

Legal News

Raise a Glass with Young Attorneys at Oct. 28 Wine Mixer

Join the Young Lawyers Division at Hopewell Valley Vineyards in Pennington for a curated selection of exquisite wines and delicious appetizers in a relaxed, elegant setting. This is the perfect opportunity to expand your professional network, meet fellow young lawyers and unwind after a busy week. Register here.

Trump Administration Drops Appeal Over $16B Gateway Tunnel Funding, But the Legal Fight Continues

The Trump administration dropped its appeal claiming it had the right to strip funding from the Gateway tunnel project, but its larger lawsuit challenging the project is still moving forward. The administration sought to halt the Gateway project after freezing federal funding for it last year. The $16 billion project includes construction of new rail tunnels beneath the Hudson River. Read the NJ.com article here.

Dental and Vision Benefits for NJSBA Members

NJSBA members can access dental and vision coverage through an exclusive partnership with Delta Dental of New Jersey. The program offers big-business benefits for firms of any size – including just two attorneys – competitive group pricing, simple enrollment, New Jersey-based customer service and access to one of the largest dental and vision provider networks in the state. For more information, contact the NJSBA’s Delta Dental Sales Executive, Lindsay Davis, at [email protected] or 201-274-4459.

Cooper Levenson Adds Six Attorneys in Various Practice Areas

Cooper Levenson announced the addition of six attorneys to the firm, strengthening its capabilities across a range of practice areas, including litigation, employment and labor, business and tax, real estate and gaming and hospitality. Read the ROI-NJ article here.

NJICLE Presents: Welcome to the Legal Profession – A CLE Event for Recently Admitted Attorneys

Newly admitted attorneys can jump-start their legal careers on Sept. 26 with a full day of practical skills and essential credits to fulfill their new attorney CLE requirements. Attendees can choose from live sessions on family law, estate administration, landlord-tenant law and labor and employment, led by experienced New Jersey practitioners. Register here.

Supreme Court, Appellate and Third Circuit Decision Summaries

Click on any decision below to get the full opinion – September 21, 2026.

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Administrative – Paycheck Protection Program

Celebrity of Springfield LLC v. SBA – As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress established the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP or Program) to help keep small businesses afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offered eligible businesses access to low interest loans, some of which could be forgiven. The Small Business Administration implemented the PPP and promulgated the Corporate Group Rule at issue in this appeal. To help ensure widespread access to PPP loans, the Corporate Group Rule capped the aggregate amount entities with shared majority ownership could borrow. Celebrity of Springfield, LLC, a car dealership, was part of a corporate group that borrowed more than permitted under the Corporate Group Rule. Yet Celebrity argued that it was entitled to partial forgiveness up to the capped amount. The Third Circuit disagreed. Neither the statutory nor regulatory language mandates partial forgiveness, and the SBA did not abuse its discretion or act arbitrarily in declining to grant partial forgiveness, the Third Circuit held. It affirmed the District Court’s summary judgment for the SBA.

New Jersey Appellate Division

Employment – Workplace Injury

Dane "Ali" Haskins vs. Christopher R. Casey, et al. (Somerset County and Statewide) – In this employment case, the defendants Christopher R. Casey, Patricia A. Barbuto, Peter Bjerregaard, and Ekornes, Inc. appealed from an order granting the plaintiff Dane "Ali" Haskins's partial summary-judgment motion in which he asked the trial court to enforce Section 40 of the Workers' Compensation Act (the WCA), N.J.S.A. 34:15-1 to -147, and a subsequent order denying the defendants' reconsideration motion. In the summary-judgment order, the court permitted the plaintiff at trial "to pursue compensatory damages . . . in connection with a bodily injury claim" based on a workplace accident and "to present evidence of medical benefits, temporary disability benefits and permanent disability benefits paid by . . . [d]efendants' workers' compensation carrier to the jury." The Appellate Division reversed the orders.

Family – Restraining Order

J.S.A. vs. L.O.R. (Passaic County and Statewide) – In this one-sided appeal, the defendant L.O.R. appealed from a final restraining order entered against her pursuant to the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act. A Family Part judge entered the order based upon her findings that the defendant committed the predicate act of harassment against the plaintiff J.S.A., and that a restraining order was necessary to protect the plaintiff from future acts of domestic violence. On appeal, the defendant argued there is insufficient evidence supporting the judge's findings that she committed the predicate act of harassment, and the judge erred by concluding a restraining order is necessary to protect the plaintiff from future acts of domestic violence. Unconvinced, the Appellate Division affirmed.