A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for October 28-November 3.

 

NJ Supreme Court an Afterthought in Governor’s Race

Salvador Rizzo | NJ Observer

You wouldn’t know it from this year’s campaigns, but the next New Jersey governor will have the power to reshape the state Supreme Court, with the option of removing or giving tenure to all the Republican justices appointed by Gov. Chris Christie.

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The 7 Most Dramatic N.J. Legislative Races to Watch

Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The big race in New Jersey’s elections next Tuesday will decide who’ll succeed Chris Christie as governor — but that’s hardly the only position at the Statehouse at stake. All 120 seats in the state Legislature — the body that makes New Jersey’s laws — are on the ballot, and some of the races are packed with drama.  The president of the state Senate is not only facing his Republican opponent, but the anger of New Jersey’s largest teachers union. There is a strong fight to succeed a veteran state lawmaker who died suddenly this year.

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When Haunted House Visits Go From ‘Boo’ to Sue, the House Usually Wins

Randy Maniloff | USA Today

It is the oldest warning in the book — parents tell their children not to talk to strangers. But one day a year we make an exception. And then some — even allowing our kids to ask those they don’t know for a Kit Kat. Parents definitely change the rules on Halloween. Can the same be said for the legal system? Does it also tolerate otherwise unacceptable behavior simply because it takes place in the season of ghosts and goblins? By one measure, the answer is yes.

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A Few Facts About Halloween Costumes And Copyright

David Kluft | Law360

This is a tough time of year if you are an intellectual property lawyer who likes to dress up. Anyone who knows about your job will be unable to resist lame and legally incorrect jokes about your Halloween costume. If you wear a Mohawk wig, they will quip that you are infringing Mr. T’s copyright. If you wield a sword and don a fur coat, they will ask if you had permission to use the “patent” from “Game of Thrones.”

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From Harvey-Weinstein Masks to ‘Fun Size’ Disputes, Here’s Where Halloween and the Law Intersect

Leigh Jones | Law.com

On that special day in America when we celebrate all things macabre, take a look at a few stand-out tales involving spooky plaintiffs, scary defendants and Halloween-inspired litigation.

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