Development News for Piscataway, New Jersey

Court Orders Removal of Student Arrest Video from Publication Pending Hearing

The New Brunswick Board of Education filed an emergent application seeking preliminary injunctive relief and temporary restraints against New Brunswick Today for publishing a security surveillance video of a 16-year-old student's arrest at New Brunswick High School. The Board argued that the dissemination of the video violated student privacy rights under FERPA and state law (NJSA 2A4A60), and exposed security vulnerabilities. New Brunswick Today argued that removing the video constituted an unconstitutional prior restraint, citing First Amendment protections for journalists. The court, while acknowledging the First Amendment arguments, granted a temporary restraining order, compelling the removal of the video pending a full hearing on the merits, citing the need to protect juvenile privacy and maintain the status quo.