New Jersey State Bar Association
Board of Trustees Report
October 2021
Note: This report does not constitute official minutes.
Government affairs: The trustees voted to support the follow pieces of pending legislation:
•Daniel’s Law, legislation to facilitate implementation of Daniel’s Law, which protects the home addresses and telephone numbers of judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers from public disclosure; supported with amendments.
• A-5469 (Conaway)/S-3329 (Diegnan), requires notice of motor vehicle safety recalls upon inspection and registration of motor vehicle; requires repair of motor vehicle subject to recall; supported with amendments.
•A-5367 (Vainieri Huttle)/S-3416 (Sweeney), codifies same-sex marriage in the statutes.
• A-4973 (Benson)/S-2553 (Gopal), provides in-state tuition status to certain veterans and family members who attend public institutions of higher education during period of mandatory remote instruction due to public health emergencies.
• A-5757 (Dancer)/S-3754 (Diegnan), authorizes military service members, spouses and dependents with out-of-state domicile to operate motor vehicles in New Jersey.
• A-1708 (Burzichelli)/S-3406 (Vitale), requires workers’ compensation, PIP and health insurance coverage for the medical use of cannabis under certain circumstances.
• A-5509 (Zwicker)/S-3594 (Singleton), provides that in actions, calculations of damages for lost earnings or impaired earnings capacity resulting from personal injury or wrongful death shall not be reduced based on race, ethnicity or gender; supported with amendments.
• A-5673 (Vainieri Huttle)/S-3707 (Vitale), reduces offenses of deliberately transmitting sexually transmitted infection to a disorderly person’s offense and revises elements of the offense.
• A-2337 (Moriarty), authorizes county and municipal consumer affairs directors to conduct administrative hearings, assess civil and other penalties and issue cease-and-desist orders.
NJSBA Working Group on Jury Selection: NJSBA President Domenick Carmagnola said the Working Group on Jury Selection has been a priority and is preparing a report for the Judicial Conference on Jury Selection that will be held Nov. 10 and Nov. 12 at the New Jersey Law Center. The group is examining the issues, especially the threat to peremptory challenges and what role they play in the justice system, seeking experts and reviewing materials. Carmagnola shared that he is a member of the Judicial Conference Committee that will review the information gathered at the Conference and make recommendations about the next steps. He is also scheduled to address the Conference on Nov. 12.
Attorney disciplinary budget: The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) said while it was pleased New Jersey Supreme Court Disciplinary Oversight Committee’s (DOC) did not recommend an increase in the 2022 proposed budget for the attorney disciplinary system, it raised some concerns. In a letter to the Court, Carmagnola wrote, “Since 2009, DOC policy has called for a reserve no greater than 10% of the operating budget. The NJSBA has noted a pattern where a large deficit is predicted each year, with an indication the reserve will be reduced through deficit budgeting. Yet each year, the actual expenses are less than anticipated and the reserve remains at more than 20% of the operating budget.”
Trustees recognized: Carmagnola recognized Carlos Bollar, a partner at Archer in Haddonfield, who recently became president of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
