The State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Horace Nelson Laws, Defendant-Appellant; the State of New Jersey…

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the murder convictions and modified the death sentences to life imprisonment, holding that the Court has authority to modify a death sentence when the prosecutor waives the death penalty. The decision rests on the Court's appellate power under the 1947 Constitution and practice rules, and on the statutory framework allowing the prosecutor to bind the jury by a waiver.