In Baskin v. Martinez, Justice Albin of the NJ Supreme Court delivered a ruling on a hot-button issue: qualified immunity. In the case, a Camden detective chased an armed suspect. When the chase ended, the detective and the suspect gave conflicting accounts on how it ended. The suspect claimed he faced the detective, hands over his head in a show of surrender. The detective said the suspect — who had a gun moments earlier — whipped around with something in his hand. The detective shot the suspect. Given the factual dispute over the moments leading up the showing, the majority reversed the grant of summary judgment, holding that a jury should decide that issue. Justice Solomon issued a spirited dissent.
