Tag: new jersey

Federal judge blocks enforcement of many parts of NJ’s new carry restrictions

It’s far from the last decision in the case, but Second Amendment advocates and gun owners in New Jersey won a big victory on Monday as a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking several aspects of New Jersey’s latest restrictions on the right to carry from being enforced for the time being.

The lawsuit, which was brought a coalition of Second Amendment groups including the Second Amendment Foundation, Firearms Policy Coalition, Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners, and New Jersey Second Amendment Society, doesn’t challenge every part of the new laws. Instead, it takes aim specifically at the number of newly designated “sensitive places” enacted by Gov. Phil Murphy and the legislature in late December, and U.S. District Judge Renée Marie Bumb believes that many of these “gun-free zones” aren’t likely to pass constitutional muster. From today’s opinion:

As Plaintiffs lament, the challenged provisions force a person permitted to carry a firearm in New Jersey to “navigate a ‘veritable minefield.’” [Pls’. Br. at 12.] Their view is a legitimate one. The Court knows of no constitutional right that requires this much guesswork by individuals wanting to exercise such right.

With such sweeping legislation that includes catch-alls, Plaintiffs cannot decipher what constitutes a “sensitive place,” and so they have abandoned their constitutional right to bear arms out of fear of criminal penalty. Relatedly, Plaintiffs argue that these provisions sweep so broadly that the legislation “effectively shuts off most public areas from carrying for self-defense.” [Pls.’ Br. at 30.] In the final analysis, at some point on the line, when a constitutional right becomes so burdensome or unwieldy to exercise, it is, in effect, no longer a constitutional right. Plaintiffs have made a convincing case that this legislation has reached that point.

Bumb enjoined enforcement of the ban on concealed carry in libraries and museums, bars and restaurants that serve alcohol, and entertainment facilities, as well as the de-facto designation of all private property as “gun-free zones” and the portion of the new law requiring concealed carry holders to unholster and unload their firearm and keep it stored in a “secure container” while they’re in a vehicle. In her opinion, Bumb pointed out that the historical record as established has led other courts to conclude that banning concealed carry in public transportation is a no-no, and the evidence for government barring the lawful bearing of arms in private transportation is in essence non-existent.

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Wife of Prominent GOP Activist Accused of Shooting, Killing Husband

The wife of a prominent local Republican activist in New Jersey is in jail after police arrested her for fatally shooting her husband on Christmas Day. Prosecutors claim that Marylue Wigglesworth, 51, shot her husband David Wigglesworth at the couple’s Mays Landing home.

Fox News reported further that the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office said that police arrived to find David Wigglesworth, 57, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. His wife is now in jail at the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

“The slain man had been involved in local politics. He ran as a Republican for the Township Committee in 2019 but lost. He also served on the Planning Board and volunteered for the Boys & Girls Club of Atlantic City, according to New Jersey 101.5,” Fox News noted. “The couple share an adult son, WPG Talk Radio reported. Police did not disclose a motive for the slaying. Photos on Marylue Wigglesworth’s Facebook page show a smiling, affectionate couple.”

“I cannot believe this,” one local wrote regarding the incident on Facebook, the New York Post reported. “We’ve known Dave and Mary for years…This just can’t be true.”

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NJ High School Hosts Secret Student Drag Show For Adult Staff During School Hours

Parents are outraged after high school kids in New Jersey performed in drag for their adult teachers in a secret, student-led drag show on school property during school hours.

The performance, which took place on October 27th at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, NJ, was put on by the Student club P.U.L.S.E. (People Understanding Love Serves Everyone), and led by faculty advisor Heather Baldwin, Libs of TikTok reported on Thursday.

The community learned about the students’ drag performance three days later when an internal school email was leaked to The New Jersey Project, an organization that advocates for parents’ rights in public schools.

The New Jersey Project wrote about the event on its Substack blog, Chaos and Control.

In the email, Baldwin invited select adult “staff” to attend an “invite-only” drag show performed by the students of the P.U.L.S.E Club. Reportedly, not all faculty were invited to watch the teen transvestites perform, nor were parents, or fellow students.

According to witnesses, students were taken out of class to prepare for the secret show, and “a teacher stood watch outside the door to the theatre while the show was going on to ensure those not invited would not enter.”

A professional transvestite known as Phoebe Manntrappe reportedly performed alongside the students at the drag show as well.

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Parents cannot ‘dictate what their children are taught’: School board’s lawyer says parents outraged over district’s transgender policy can ‘choose to have your child attend elsewhere’

At a New Jersey school board meeting last week, parents outraged over the district’s transgender policy were told by the board’s lawyer that it is not the right of the parents to determine the curriculum taught to their children at public schools, Fox News Digital reported.

Parents attending the Lawrence Township Board of Education meeting on October 19 expressed concern over controversial lessons and books with gender-questioning themes.

One of the books concerned parents criticized the district for was “Jacob’s New Dress” by Ian Hoffman and Sarah Hoffman. The picture book for kindergartens tells the story of a young boy who enjoys playing dress-up and wants to wear a dress to school.

Parents confronted the district about encouraging fourth-grade students to question their gender with a lesson on the “gender snowperson.” Students are asked to participate in a game where they can pretend to be any gender they choose, reported CentralJersey.com.

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New Jersey schools must teach middle schoolers about anal sex, pregnancy options or risk ‘disciplinary action’

New state-wide sex ed standards in New Jersey teach students as young as 13 years old about anal sex and their pregnancy options, and school districts that fail to comply could face “disciplinary action,” or even a loss of funding.

The standards were adopted by the New Jersey Board of Education in June 2020, and schools are required to implement them beginning this month. Amid concern from parents and school districts, the state Department of Education has warned that schools who fail to implement the new standards may face discipline. 

The state standards describe what students should learn by each grade level, and it is up to the districts to design a curriculum to adhere to the standards. By eighth grade, according to the New Jersey standards, students should “describe pregnancy testing, the signs of pregnancy, and pregnancy options, including parenting, abortion, and adoption;” and “Define vaginal, oral, and anal sex.”

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Lakewood cut down Town Square trees to deter homeless

The township cut down all of the shade trees that once lined Town Square in a controversial move designed to prevent homeless people from spending time there.

Mayor Ray Coles said the decision was made after a recommendation from the Police Department Quality of Life Unit, which the township said was triggered by numerous complaints from residents and township employees about homeless people defecating and urinating in the area.

“They (homeless people) were harassing people, defecating between the cars and residents were complaining,” Coles said.

Claudia Romero, who works in a tax preparation company across from the Town Square, said that one day she found human feces on the sidewalk in front of her office and then submitted a complaint to the township. The township did not say how many complaints it received.

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Calls for NJ Democratic councilwoman to resign after shocking video shows politician’s hit-and-run of man on a bicycle

There are calls for a New Jersey councilwoman to resign after shocking video was released of her plowing into a bicyclist with her vehicle and fleeing the crime scene.

Traffic cameras caught the moment that Democratic Jersey City Councilwoman Amy DeGise was involved in a disturbing hit-and-run that catapulted a delivery person into the air.

Around 8 a.m. on July 19, DeGise sped through an intersection in Jersey City. DeGise’s black Nissan Rogue slammed into 29-year-old UberEats deliveryman Andrew Black. The impact of the crash flipped Black airborne until he slammed violently onto the pavement. The severity of the crash caused Black’s shoes to fall off. Black and his wrecked bicycle were flung feet from the crash.

DeGise did not slow down whatsoever as she sideswiped the cyclist, and she sped away from the hit-and-run.

A dazed Black walks to the sidewalk. Black needs to brace himself on a street pole in order to examine his wounds.

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New Jersey Bill Would Require College Students to Receive Coronavirus Vaccine

A proposed bill in New Jersey would require college students and staff at higher education institutions to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

Proposed by Democratic Assemblyman Herb Conaway Jr. and co-sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, Bill A4334 would essentially require that all in-person students and staff be fully vaccinated while exempting only those who would work virtually.

“If the bill becomes law, it would go into effect in the 2022-2023 school year,” noted News12.

The bill will now be reviewed by the Assembly Health Committee and will have to pass the state Senate before it becomes law. A similar bill in the New Jersey Senate has not yet received a vote.

Colleges and universities have adopted their own vaccination policies without government mandates up until now. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, no other state in the union has required coronavirus vaccinations for students in higher education.

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Nearly 100 people at this NJ school got brain tumors — a survivor demands answers

A cancer survivor is vowing to untangle the twisted mystery of why almost 100 people associated with a New Jersey high school have developed “extremely” rare malignant brain tumors.

Al Lupiano is among the 94 former staff and students from Colonia High School in the Woodbridge Township School District who have been stricken by the devastating diagnoses in recent years.

“I will not rest until I have answers,” Lupiano, 50, declared in an interview with NJ.com and the Star-Ledger on Thursday. “I will uncover the truth.”

Among the others diagnosed with brain cancer was Lupiano’s younger sister, who passed away from the disease in February at the age of 44.

The devoted brother promised his sister on her deathbed that he would get to the bottom of what was causing the apparent cancer cluster at Colonia High. On Tuesday — after a public push by Lupiano — local officials approved an emergency probe of the school.

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First-graders in New Jersey will be given sex education lessons dubbed ‘Pink, Blue and Purple’ that will include discussions on gender identity: Ex-Gov. Chris Christie slams Phil Murphy for embracing ‘crazy liberal policies’

First-graders in New Jersey will be learning about gender identity in new sex education curriculum which includes a lesson that teaches the children that they can have ‘boy parts’ but ‘feel like’ a girl. 

The new lessons, which are part of a broader, K-12 health and sex education curriculum adopted by the New Jersey Board of Education, are alarming some parents. 

One of the 30-minute lesson plans, called ‘Pink, Blue and Purple‘ teaches the students to define ‘gender, gender identity and gender role stereotypes,’ Fox News reported. 

Another lesson plan, this one for second graders, called ‘Understanding Our Bodies,’ tells teachers to instruct students that ‘being a boy or a girl doesn’t have to mean you have those parts, there are some body parts that mostly just girls have and some parts that mostly just boys have.’ 

‘Most people have a vulva and a vagina or a penis and testicles, but some people’s bodies can be different,’ the plan states. ‘Your body is exactly what is right for you.’ 

The new state sex education guidelines, which go into effect in September, were handed out to parents at the Westfield Board of Education meeting in February, and included instructions for teachers to tell students that their gender identity is up to them.   

‘You might feel like you’re a boy even if you have body parts that some people might tell you are ‘girl’ parts,’ the lesson plan states.

‘You might feel like you’re a girl even if you have body parts that some people might tell you are ‘boy’ parts. And you might not feel like you’re a boy or a girl, but you’re a little bit of both. No matter how you feel, you’re perfectly normal!’ 

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