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Mark Cheeseman v. Joseph Polillo, Chief of Police, City of Glassboro, New Jersey, et al.

Paid petition · Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, No. A-2412-17T2 · judgment November 8, 2018

Certiorari denied · June 15, 2020
Pre-decision estimate: 1% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Question presented

The State of New Jersey broadly prohibits people from carrying or otherwise possessing handguns for the purpose of personal protection—anywhere but in their homes, businesses or on their own property—unless they obtain a permit. But to obtain this permit, an individual must be able to demonstrate “justifiable need to carry a handgun,” which the State defines as “the urgent necessity for self-protection, as evidenced by specific threats or previous attacks which demonstrate a special danger to the applicant’s life that cannot be avoided by means other than by issuance of a permit to carry a handgun.” Except for the miniscule number of people who are able to meet this standard, the “need” requirement stands as a ban to bearing handguns in New Jersey. The question presented is whether States can limit the ability to bear handguns outside the home to only those found to have a sufficiently heightened “need” for self-protection.

Counsel of record

For petitioner
David D. Jensen
David Jensen PLLC

For respondent
Shannon Marie Cornelius
Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 8 conferences

Amicus briefs
1 cert-stage

Proceedings

  1. Jun 15 2020
    Motion for leave to file amici brief filed by Firearms Policy Coalition, et al. GRANTED.
  2. Jun 15 2020
    Petition DENIED.
  3. Jun 08 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/11/2020.
  4. Jun 01 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 6/4/2020.
  5. May 22 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/28/2020.
  6. May 18 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/21/2020.
  7. May 11 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/15/2020.
  8. Apr 27 2020
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 5/1/2020.
  9. Oct 02 2019
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/18/2019.
  10. Sep 27 2019
    Reply of petitioner Mark Cheeseman filed.
  11. Sep 16 2019
    Brief of respondents John Polillo in opposition filed.
  12. Aug 19 2019
    Response Requested. (Due September 18, 2019)
  13. Aug 14 2019
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/1/2019.
  14. Aug 14 2019
    Waiver of right of respondent John Polillo to respond filed.
  15. Aug 01 2019
    Motion for leave to file amici brief filed by Firearms Policy Coalition, et al.
  16. Jul 18 2019
    Brief amicus curiae of Coalition of New Jersey Firearm Owners filed.
  17. Jun 28 2019
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due August 1, 2019)