The Legal Eagle’s spring 2026 issue contains articles on the judicial independence, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision concerning blocking critics on social media, and 17-year-olds voting in NJ primaries. A PDF of the Legal Eagle’s spring 2026 edition can be downloaded or individual articles can be read and/or printed from The Legal Eagle’s blog, The Lowdown.
Any questions, contact the editor of The Legal Eagle, Jodi L. Miller. She can be reached via email at jmiller@njsbf.org.
Here are the headlines from The Legal Eagle’s Spring 2026 Issue:
For the First Time 17-Year-Olds Are Able to Vote in New Jersey Primaries
Voter participation in primary elections is typically low. The Garden State is looking to reverse that trend by attracting a new voter demographic—17-year-olds.
The objective of a new law, which passed in 2024 and took effect January 1, 2026, is to increase voter participation among young voters. Under the New Voter Empowerment Act, 17-year-olds in New Jersey can now register to vote for a primary election if they will turn 18 by the date of the general election. READ MORE
Can Public Officials Block Critics Online? U.S. Supreme Court Says, “It Depends”
From its earliest days, social media has created significant legal challenges for America’s judicial system. Numerous cases involving digital networks have been brought before the courts seeking clarification on how the First Amendment, which guarantees the freedom of speech, applies to online forums.
In recent years, state and federal courts have addressed legal questions about censorship, content, and the government’s role in regulating social media platforms. The U.S. Supreme Court has addressed these matters as well. For example, a March 2024 ruling from the Court examined whether public officials can lawfully block critics on social media. The U.S. Supreme Court decision stemmed from two cases—Lindke v. Freed and O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier—where residents’ digital comments were shut down by local government representatives. READ MORE
Understanding the Judiciary and Judicial Independence
Inscribed over the entrance to the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, DC are the words “Equal Justice Under Law.” According to the webpage of the U.S. Supreme Court, those words “express the ultimate responsibility of the Supreme Court of the United States.”
The Judicial Branch of government—one of the three co-equal branches of our government (along with the Executive (the President) and Legislative (Congress) branches)—was established in Article III of the U.S. Constitution. Article III, which sets up the federal judiciary, states, “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” It should be noted that the word “inferior” in this case does not refer to the quality of the courts. Inferior means “lower” in this instance, meaning that any court established by Congress would be outranked by the U.S. Supreme Court. READ MORE
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