NJ Limits Judges’ Reversal Powers to Bolster Case Resolutions

New Jersey trial court judges can’t of their own volition reconsider their own denials to reconsider summary judgment motions and revive cases, a state appellate court ruled Monday.

An Essex County judge initially ruled that worker Marcos Doglio wasn’t an employee under the state’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, dismissing his whistleblower claim and rejecting his motion for reconsideration.The judge had a change of heart and without a motion vacated that reconsideration—also known as a sua sponte ruling— saying that Boasso America Corporation, a tank container cleaning company, must prepare for trial.

The Superior Court Appellate Division’s published opinion reversed in ...