State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Braynard Purnell, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division, holding that the Anderson rule requiring a jury to decide the materiality element of perjury, and the analogous federal rule in Gaudin, do not apply retroactively to Braynard Purnell's post‑conviction relief petition. The Court applied New Jersey's three‑pronged retroactivity test and the federal Teague test, concluding the rule is not a new, watershed, or structural error warranting retroactive effect.