State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Ruth Parker, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed Ruth Parker's conviction for official misconduct, holding that the trial court's general unanimity instruction satisfied the constitutional requirement and that the conduct alleged fell within the scope of official misconduct under N.J.S.A. 2C:30‑2(a). The Court reasoned that the acts were conceptually similar, there was no genuine risk of jury confusion, and the statute does not require the underlying act to be criminal. Justice POLLOCK, dissenting, argued that the lack of a specific unanimity instruction violated Parker's right to a unanimous verdict and would have reversed the conviction.