Data Brokers Fight NJ Public Official Info Disclosure Law

The New Jersey Supreme Court pressed attorneys Tuesday over whether the state’s landmark public official protection statute violates the First Amendment.

The judges dug into the lack of an explicit fault standard—called mens rea—written into New Jersey’s Daniel’s Law. The statute is at the center of widespread litigation in federal and state courts in New Jersey demanding billions of dollars in damages from companies like Thompson Reuters and Zillow for allegedly disclosing the home addresses and telephone numbers of judges, prosecutors, and police officers in databases.

The companies argue the statute lacks the necessary intent, making it unconstitutional and potentially ...