State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. John Loyal, Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed that the trial court's declaration of a mistrial was a manifest necessity justified by an appearance of impropriety arising from defense counsel's prior representation of a key State witness, and therefore the defendant's retrial on murder and related charges does not violate the Double Jeopardy Clause. The Court also rejected the dissent's view that the appearance of impropriety rule should not outweigh double‑jeopardy protections.