State of New Jersey, Plaintiff-Appellant v. Karlton L. Blackmon, Defendant-Respondent

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey affirmed the Appellate Division's judgment in modified form, holding that the appellate panel erred by ordering a new sentencing hearing and creating a right for the defendant's step‑father to speak; the proper remedy is a remand for the trial court to explain its refusal to allow the step‑father to speak. The Court also affirmed that the victim's mother had a statutory right to speak, that the twenty‑year sentence was proper and not the statutory maximum, and that no new right of allocution for defendants' family members was created. Justice LONG concurred, emphasizing that any family witness with relevant sentencing information must be heard, while Justices ALBIN and WALLACE dissented, arguing the certification was improvidently granted.