In the Matter of William R. Hendrickson, Jr., Department of Community Affairs.

Summary

The Supreme Court of New Jersey reversed the Appellate Division and reinstated the six‑month suspension imposed by the administrative law judge, holding that the appropriate standard of review for an ALJ's deemed‑adopted disciplinary decision is the deferential abuse‑of‑discretion standard used for agency sanctions. The Court reasoned that the sanction was not so disproportionate as to shock the sense of fairness.