State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Respondent v. Roy R. Williams, Jr., Defendant-Appellant

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the conviction for second‑degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose because the trial court’s jury instruction failed to distinguish the mental state required for justification (reasonable belief) from the mental state required to negate the unlawful‑purpose element (honest belief). The Court remanded for a new trial with a revised instruction and referred the issue to the Model Jury Charges Committee. Justice Coleman dissented, arguing the instruction was adequate and any error was harmless.