The State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. John Henry Tune, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the trial court's order permitting the defendant to inspect his own confession and affirmed the denial of inspection of statements made by others. The Court held that a criminal defendant has no unqualified right to discover the prosecutor's work product, including his own confession, absent a showing of extraordinary necessity, and that the trial court's discretion was not abused. A dissent argued that the majority's stance unduly restricts discovery and harms the accused's ability to challenge the confession's credibility.