New Jersey Weekly: Mar. 21, 2025

TOP NEWS

Black youth ages 15-19 in N.J. are 19 times more likely to be sentenced to adult prison than white youths, and Latine youths nearly four times more likely, according to a recent report from Human Rights Watch. New Jersey law allows prosecutors to unilaterally make decisions about whether children are tried as adults, and a judge can only intervene if they find extreme abuses in the prosecutor’s discretion. The law operates under N.J.’s waiver system, a legal process in which prosecutors waive a case to adult court if they choose or use the threat of a harsher sentence against children as young as 14 to agree to volunteer for a waiver themselves, also known as coercive plea bargaining, the report said. Research from the report shows that waived youth experience significantly high rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide. Middlesex and Passaic Counties account for the highest concentration of waiver sentences in N.J., responsible for 25% of all waived youth cases each, the report’s data shows. It calls for enforced judicial oversight and urges Gov. Phil Murphy to sign legislation that reduces, and eventually eliminates, practices of waiving children into the adult prison system.
NJ Spotlight News

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission will add 4,500 new Real ID appointments every Thursday starting Mar. 20, more than a month before federal Real ID standards take effect on May 7. Real ID is additional federally accepted documentation that can be used to board domestic flights and enter some federal buildings. Passports and Global Entry cards also meet those standards. Applicants must bring two proofs of residential address, one proof of Social Security Number, and six points of ID. Real ID cards are $35. Appointments accepted online.
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission

Early in-person voting periods for N.J. primary elections are extended to six days, new law says. Under previous law, early in-person voting periods for primaries were three days for non-presidential election years and five days for presidential election years. A record 1.2 million N.J. residents voted early during the 2024 general election. That number is a nearly 461% increase from the previous year, which totaled at 213,919 early votes. Early voting periods of nine days for general elections and three days for May municipal elections remain unchanged. The next primary election in New Jersey will be held on June 10.
New Jersey Monitor

About 68% of N.J. school districts are expected to see an increase in state aid funding while 31% will see a decrease under Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed spending plan for 2026. Proposed increases are capped at 6% and decreases are limited to 3%, state officials said. State aid is calculated by N.J.’s school funding formula law. It determines how much money districts can raise through local property taxes and instructs the state to contribute the difference in attempt to meet district needs. That is based on the district’s aggregate income, school enrollment, number of special education students, and transportation costs, among other factors. State aid for public schools accounts for roughly 21% of Murphy’s drafted budget, which is consistent with last year’s funding plan. The preliminary budget for 2026 will undergo a public review process before it is finalized on Jun. 30. A list of each school district’s anticipated state aid funding is available online.
NJ Advance Media

Four public hearings are scheduled to formally review Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed state budget for 2026. New Jersey’s Senate and Assembly will hold two public hearings each. The Assembly Budget Committee’s meetings are scheduled for Mar. 19 and Mar. 25 at 9:30 a.m. in the State House in Trenton. The Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee’s meetings are Mar. 26 at NJIT in Newark and Apr. 10 virtually, both beginning at 10 a.m. Members of the public can register online to testify or provide written comment by email. Murphy’s proposed budget is $58.1 billion with new investments towards education, services for immigrants, public transit, and reproductive health care. The spending plan must be finalized by Jun. 30. Add to 📅.
NJ Spotlight News

A federal appeals court will hear N.J.’s case for upholding the state’s law barring immigrant detention, scheduled for the week of Apr. 28. The hearing comes two years after N.J. Attorney General Matthew Platkin appealed a federal judge’s decision to allow private prison firms to enter contracts with ICE and operate in N.J. That ruling allowed CoreCivic to run its immigrant detention center in Elizabeth, and has most recently paved the way for Geo Group to enter a 15-year contract to open an immigrant detention center in Newark. Both private prison companies sued N.J. over its law in separate cases.
New Jersey Monitor

Eligible individuals and organizations with a social innovation project can apply to the J.M.K. Innovation Prize for a cash award of $150,000 over three years and $25,000 in technical assistance funds. Applicants must have an early-stage project focused on heritage conservation, the environment, or social justice. Guidelines and eligibility available online in English and Spanish. An online information session about the process is scheduled for Apr. 1. Applications close Apr. 25. Add to 📅.
J.M.K Innovation Prize

NJ Transit and the union representing its train engineers reached a tentative contract agreement, according to a joint statement from the agency and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. The agreement comes two weeks before union members planned to strike and five years after contract negotiations for fairer wages. Details of the eight-year contract are unclear, but includes pay increases that align with what workers earn at 14 other commuter railroads, including in Long Island and New York City. BLET must vote on the deal during its meeting this month. Votes will be counted on Apr. 15, according to a statement from the BLET.
New Jersey Monitor

Eligible N.J. students can submit artwork to their congressional district’s “Artistic Discovery Contest.” Submissions can include paintings, drawings, collages, prints, mixed media, computer-generated art, and photography. The winning piece will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol. Guidelines and submission form available online. Guidelines and submission form available online. Deadlines vary by district office. Add to 📅.
U.S. House of Representatives