I finally got around to reading the March 2, 2018, advance sheet and am mighty glad I did. The very first case I came upon crystallizes why I still love the law and its many interesting convolutions some 44 years after being admitted to the Bar.

In State v. Sutherland, 231 N.J. 429 (2018), the Supreme Court reviews two rather mundane but legally intriguing motor vehicle regulations. It all begins on a rainy winter evening when Ryan Sutherland has the singular misfortune of crossing the path of an overly alert and somewhat aggressive Mt. Olive police officer out on highway patrol. After their two cars pass one another, Officer Carletta glances in the rearview mirror of his patrol car only to notice that one of Sutherland’s four taillights is unlit. Without missing a beat, Carletta quickly U-turns and stops the hapless Sutherland dead in his tracks. The ever-vigilant officer quickly discovers that Sutherland is on the revoked list. He issues two tickets, one for that violation and another for failure to maintain all four lamps in good working order.