Four men have been charged with sex-trafficking two women in Camden, coercing them with violence, threats, and drugs, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said Friday.
Keith B. Woodson, 40, of Camden, Lee A. Byrd, 62, of Philadelphia, Raymond H. Cooper, 48, of Sicklerville, and Andre A. Lindsey, 41, of Woodlynne, were charged by indictment with first-degree racketeering, first-degree conspiracy to commit human trafficking, first-degree promoting organized street crime, and related offenses.
Woodson allegedly met one victim when she was getting off a bus in Camden and enticed her with the promise of making $1,000 a day, prosecutors said. The woman, who was dependent on narcotics, agreed. She allegedly turned over the money she was paid for sex acts to Woodson, who supplied her with ecstasy, Percocet, and Adderall.
When she disobeyed Woodson, he allegedly choked her until she passed out and threatened to kill her and her family, prosecutors said.
Woodson allegedly threatened violence against a second woman’s family if she tried to leave, and told her he expected her to see four to five men daily, Monday through Friday, prosecutors said.
Woodson allegedly posted photos of the second woman on illicit sex websites to attract customers, and he allegedly solicited men from a bar and a convenience store he frequented, authorities said.
Prosecutors said Woodson rented hotel rooms, bought supplies, and arranged meetings between the woman and patrons and collected the money that was paid to the woman, who feared that he would hurt her physically or withhold food.
The other defendants are also accused of trafficking the second woman, driving her to various hotels, standing watch outside, and then collecting the money, prosecutors said. Cooper also allegedly provided Woodson with drugs to give to the second woman.
All four men carried guns, Davenport said.
“This indictment describes a cycle of violence and abuse that was used to force the victims into prostitution,” Davenport said in a statement.
“People engaged in human trafficking exploit vulnerable victims for financial gain, and we will always work to hold them accountable and provide help and support to the victims,” Davenport said.
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced Friday that her office’s civil rights division is investigating the operation of Delaney Hall, the privately run ICE facility in Newark where several detainees have died.
Davenport said the investigation will look into how the facility is run by the GEO Group Inc. and whether its employees have violated the civil rights of people detained there, citing reports about conditions and the deaths.
Congressional Democrats this week alleged that a third person at the facility had died.
Critics say detainees at Delaney Hall endure poor conditions. The facility has been the subject of ongoing protests and clashes between federal officials and elected Democrats.
File photo of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents watching protesters at Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center, in Newark, N.J., on June 7, 2026.LEXI PARRA
“New Jersey has both a legal and a moral duty to stand up for the civil rights of people within our state,” Davenport said in a statement.
“For people who are held involuntarily, including by a private corporation like GEO Group, those rights include the right to humane treatment and adequate medical care,” Davenport said.
“We will take every action available under law to safeguard these core legal principles. We ask individuals to share their personal experiences with us so that we can take action to ensure that rights are protected,” she said.
Anyone with information that could be helpful for the investigation can contact the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Division of Civil Rights at AffirmativeEnforcement@njcivilrights.gov.
A spokesperson for the GEO Group referred questions to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Spokespersons for ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security could not be reached for comment Friday evening.
The Trump administration has previously rejected calls for Delaney Hall to be closed as it pursues mass deportations.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement that the investigation was necessary.
“We’ve heard the reports of disturbing conditions and have been heartbroken by recent deaths of detainees at the facility,” Sherrill said.
“ICE and The GEO Group have continued to block our efforts for a full health inspection and there are now reports that visitations have been stopped. We will not tolerate a facility that abdicates any transparency and accountability,” Sherrill said.
“I have long opposed private detention facilities, and my position is clear that Delaney Hall should be closed. My administration will continue to do everything in our power to hold ICE and The GEO Group accountable to New Jersey laws,” the governor said.
A body count is not normal. A mother’s son whose face went numb the night before is not normal. Edwin Lopez Cornell’s death was preventable. Keeping Delaney Hall open is another deliberate decision to let it continuing.
On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) called for the closure of Delaney Hall but was rebuffed by Senate Republicans.
“A body count is not normal. A mother’s son whose face went numb the night before is not normal. Edwin Lopez Cornell’s death was preventable. Keeping Delaney Hall open is another deliberate decision to let it continuing,” Booker posted on social media.
Also on Thursday, all nine House Democrats in New Jersey sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and acting ICE Director David J. Venturella asking for detailed information about the deaths and conditions at the facility.
“Three deaths, repeated allegations of medical neglect, restricted oversight, and less public transparency are a terrible track record of care for individuals in your custody,” the Democrats wrote.
“At this point, the question is no longer whether ICE knows what is happening inside Delaney Hall. It is, ‘why does ICE continue to allow the GEO Group to put lives at risk?’” they wrote.
Two South Jersey towns were victims of cyberattacks last week targeting the water supplies of municipalities across the country.
Officials in Cape May and Woodbine, both in Cape May County, confirmed their water systems were hacked in the early morning hours of Monday, July 27. While both systems were impacted for about 12 hours, officials say water never stopped running and remained safe to consume.
“Water treatment, water supply, and monitoring systems continue to operate safely, and routine testing confirms that the water supply remains safe,” Cape May City Manager Paul Dietrich and Woodbine Mayor William Pikolycky said in a joint statement.
Both said no personal data or customer information was compromised.
In Cape May, hackers changed the IP address of the water department’s computer system, temporarily locking out officials, according to Dietrich. No water pumps were disrupted, and none of their systems were altered.
Cape May’s water system also supplies water to West Cape May, Cape May Point, Lower Township, and the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center.
In Woodbine, about half an hour north of Cape May, the city provides water to about 5,000 people, including campgrounds.
Similar to Cape May, communications were cut off to Woodbine’s water monitoring system, which was reactivated manually a few hours later. Pikolycky said the impact was minimal, similar to what happens during a power outage.
“We don’t have a complicated system,” Pikolycky said. “A couple bad actors interrupted our operation a bit, drove us a little nuts. That’s all.”
No issues in Philadelphia
At least seven states have been targeted in a wave of cyberattacks on water systems in the U.S., according to the FBI, but so far Pennsylvania doesn’t appear to be among them.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said there have been no reported attacks on local water systems in the commonwealth, and offered guidance to operators to help prevent future incidents.
A Philadelphia Water Department spokesperson said the city hasn’t been impacted by cybersecurity threats and “maintains an established cybersecurity program focused on protecting operational integrity and ensuring we are prepared to respond effectively to potential cyber incidents.”
Who is behind the cyberattacks?
A water tower in Plymouth, Minn. Ellen Schmidt
It remains unclear who is targeting local water systems across the country.
Thirty water facilities were targeted by cyberattacks in Minnesota, according to officials, and nine were impacted in Michigan. Similar to what happened in New Jersey, water systems continued to operate, and there were no impacts on public health.
“After remotely accessing internet-facing devices, the actors changed the IP addresses and passwords, resulting in a loss of monitoring and control functionality,” the FBI said in a statement.
Last month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — part of the Department of Homeland Security responsible for cybersecurity — released a joint statement with the FBI and CIA linking Iran to a broader range of cyberattacks targeting the same type of hardware hit in Cape May and Woodbine.
“Iranian cyber actors continue to target U.S. critical infrastructure, and the FBI is committed to identifying, disrupting, and imposing costs on those responsible,” Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, said in a statement.
A high school history teacher and a lawyer are spending their summer in Camden sprucing up the city where they have lived and worked —by providing free lawn care.
And a third-generation South Jersey business makes stainless-steel food carts that spin their wheels on Shore boardwalks, huge theme parks, and military bases across the world.
Plus, a man who pleaded guilty recently for stalking a TV news personality is the same person who was arrested for allegedly threatening Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and more news of the day.
P.S. As we wrap up another week, we want to thank you for your continuing support. We’re still new, so please tell us how we’re doing by taking our survey.
Childhood friends Brian Turner and Keith Benson have cut nearly 100 lawns in Camden since June.
Turner is a Camden High teacher and Benson is a lawyer at a Cherry Hill firm.
The duo are providing the service for free and limit it to the city boundaries. They use their own equipment, and the only payment they’ll take is the occasional bottle of water.
It’s their way to give back to the city and spruce up the community.
A Camden-rooted business may have built your favorite food cart.
For 74 years, Custom Mobile Food Equipment has handmade stainless-steel food wagons and trucks.
The company’s products have found their way onto Shore boardwalks, U.S bases in Japan, and iconic theme parks such as Disney World and SeaWorld.
The Hammonton-based company has navigated food trends and consumer behavior changes. VP David Kyle is confident it’ll outlast recent inflation, global competition, and import tariffs.
A man who recently pleaded guilty to stalking a Philly TV news personality is the same person who was arrested in January for allegedly making threats to New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill when she was a U.S. representative.
A sports coach at a Gloucester Township high school was charged with sexual assault of a student, Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAuley said Thursday. He was taken into custody Wednesday.
Burlington County will host a breastfeeding celebration and resource fair in Mount Holly today. Local organizations, vendors, and health professionals will be available to provide information.
JP Morgan Chase has four new Chase Bank locations under development in Berlin Township, Blackwood, Deptford, and Washington Township, and it continues its expansion into South Jersey, 42 Freeway reports.
We asked readers about etiquette of playing ball on the beach via the Shore Line group chat.
Here are a few of the responses:
Many years ago a bunch of guys were playing Frisbee. The Frisbee hit me in the face along with the guy diving for it. I lost a tooth from the force of the hit and also needed root canal. They should be far from the crowds.
The beachgoer needs to relax. They are kids and we all did it as kids. It’s a public place and to expect kids not to be playing is ridiculous.
Hello from Wildwood Crest! Our borough lifeguards maintain a very publicized posted rule about playing ball at the beach: only on the “Back Beach.”
Where do you land? Do you accept that potentially getting hit is part of the price of enjoying a day on a public beach? Or do you think it should be limited to a dedicated zone? Be part of conversation and email Rosenberg at downtheshore@inquirer.com.
📸 Photo of the week
Springhouse Farms, of nearby Upper Township, offers a wide variety of produce at the Sea Isle City Farmers Market.Vernon Ogrodnek / For The Inquirer
🫑 One last fun thing to do: South Jersey is known for its produce for a reason, and not much is more peaceful than perusing farmers markets on a weekend morning.
Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday. 📧
By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.
With the afternoon sun beating down, Keith Benson and his childhood friend Brian Turner meticulously tended to a lawn in Camden’s Parkside neighborhood on a recent Friday.
They took turns pushing a red lawn mower that left neat lines in the lush grass. They edged up the perimeter and pulled weeds from the sidewalk in front of the property on Bradley Street.
A short time later, the pair completed the job, packed up their equipment and sped off to their next assignment in Benson’s burgundy Ford-150 pickup.
They didn’t get paid and they didn’t want any payment, except possibly a cold bottle of water.
Keith Benson and his childhood friend Brian Turner help residents and the community by providing free lawn care, in Camden, N.J., July 31, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Benson, a Camden High history teacher, and Turner, a litigator and personal injury lawyer at a Cherry Hill law firm, are spending the summer working for free. They want to give back to the city where they have lived and worked.
“I’m grateful to be able to do it,” said Benson, 46. “We have to pass that on.”
Benson was looking for something to do when the school year ended in June. He came up with the idea and enlisted Turner to help.
They shared their plans mainly through word of mouth, friends, and social media posts. The response has been overwhelming and the two have been fielding text messages and calls to schedule appointments.
Since June, they have cut nearly 100 lawns, including 14 repeat cuts, Benson said. They hope to get back to every lawn once a week, he said. The free service is limited to Camden, and they use their personal equipment.
“When they text us, we go,” said Turner, 47, of Cinnaminson. “We always show up when we say we will.”
Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen launched a “Camden Strong” campaign several years ago and has encouraged residents to help spruce up the community. That initiative is cleaning up neighborhoods, removing bulk trash, and restoring public spaces.
This summer, too, residents such as Elton Custis have been cleaning up their blocks on Saturday mornings for a half hour to support Camden Strong. Custis compiled a list of more than a dozen mostly elderly neighbors for Benson and Turner for the free lawn cutting. They completed them all, he said.
“I just love the fact that they started this,” Custis said. “They didn’t wait for anybody’s approval. They just got it done. They have been a godsend, that’s for sure.”
As the temperature approached 90 degrees, Benson and Turner made their fourth stop of the day on Bradley Street. They have worked on the hottest days of the summer, stopping only for inclement weather.
They cut a vacant lot adjacent to a home where Ted Davis Jr., the son of the city’s first Black judge, now resides. They also mowed his backyard.
“They’re true to their word, when they say it’s free,“ said Davis, a retired personal trainer and high school coach. ”I offered to pay but they declined.”
Davis said he was not surprised by the undertaking. He met both as teenagers when the signed up to train with him at his Smart Jox business.
“I respect them very much,” Davis said. “It’s not a lot of people who are doing what they are doing.”
Keith Benson and his childhood friend Brian Turner help residents and the community by providing free lawn care, in Camden, N.J., July 31, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
Earlier that day, Turner, a former assistant Camden city attorney, had stopped in his office at Malamut Law firm and worked for several hours. The firm has supported his community service, he said.
Benson and Turner met in 1996 their sophomore year at Moorestown Friends School. Benson transferred from Cherry Hill schools.
“We didn’t like each other at first,” Benson recalled.
“He hated me,” Turner said.
They became friends that summer when Benson’s father, also named Keith, forced them to sign up for a basketball camp. The elder Benson was unaware of the tension, but believed the young Black men in a predominantly white school should be friends.
Both men graduated from Rutgers-Camden where both played basketball and Turner was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Player of the Year in 2002.
Left to right: Rutgers-Camden basketball teammates Keith Benson, Robert Scott, and Brian Turner circa 2002.Courtesy of Keith Benson
Both also earned doctorate degrees — Benson in education and Turner in law. Benson lives in Camden and the two conducted basketball clinics at Camden High this summer.
“Now, they are ridiculously fast friends,” the elder Benson said. “Their friendship is beautiful and I love it.”
Whistling and humming as they worked, Benson and Turner quickly finished up the lawn on Bradley Street. There was some friendly bantering about whether the lines in the grass were perfectly straight.
“We do argue all the time,” Benson said.
“Sometimes, he doesn’t listen,” Turner quipped.
Next, the pair moved to South Eighth Street to cut the lawn in front of a rowhouse. They also cut the adjacent properties, including in front of a boarded up property on the corner.
Keith Benson and his childhood friend Brian Turner help residents and the community by providing free lawn care, in Camden, N.J., July 31, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
They mowed eight lawns for the day. Both said they hope to inspire others to find ways to help their neighbors and the city.
A sports coach at a Gloucester Township high school was charged with having illegal sexual contact with a student, Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay said Thursday.
Joel Deanley Jr., 26, of Gloucester Township, worked at Timber Creek High School, where he was an assistant coach for girls spring track, as well as head coach for boys and girls winter track and an assistant coach for football, MacAulay said.
In a statement on Thursday, the Black Horse Pike Regional School District said it was cooperating with authorities in the case.
“The employee has been immediately removed from all duties involving students and barred from all District property,” the district said.
Deanley was charged with three counts of second-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, MacAulay said.
He was taken into custody Wednesday and was being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.
On Tuesday, Gloucester Township police notified the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit that a female student at the high school “reported having a sexual relationship with Deanley,” the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Detectives determined that Deanley and the student were involved in illegal sexual contact between June and August, MacAulay said.
The student was the only victim identified in the case, but the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office will investigate any additional allegations, MacAulay said.
Anyone with information related to the case may call Detective Todd Jarrell of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at 856-225-8479 or Detective Daniel Szovati of the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500, Ext. 3215. Tips can also be sent to CAMDEN.TIPS.
Monroe Township officials are not budging their stance on data centers as they push for the dismissal of a $300 million lawsuit from a developer challenging the municipality’s recent ban.
And a judge tossed out the Cherry Hill Board of Education’s lawsuit against a journalist for filing too many public records requests.
Monroe Township is doubling down on its data center ban.
Officials recently requested to dismiss a $300 million lawsuit from Hexa Builders — a Princeton-based real estate developer that wants to build a 1 million-square-foot data center — that challenges the municipality’s ban.
The saga continues as Hexa Builders pushes for the case to go back to state court instead of federal.
Meanwhile, Collingswood pursued its own ban through an ordinance that would amend the borough’s code.
Other South Jersey municipalities to consider and pass similar bans include Cherry Hill, Millville, and Medford.
Freelance journalist Benjamin Shore can file as many public records requests as he wants in South Jersey.
When the Cherry Hill Board of Education filed a 128-page lawsuit back in February, it claimed the “numerous, repeated, and vexatious” requests he filed under the state’s Open Public Records Act qualified as harassment.
Superior Court Judge Michael Mikulski disagreed. On July 31, the judge dismissed the case and stated the district failed to provide evidence of ill-intent.
Hackers targeted two New Jersey municipal water systems in a nationwide cyberattack. Three state officials, according to a report, said some analysts highly suspect the attack could be traced to Iran amid the ongoing war.
A teenager has been arrested and charged with attempted murder and other crimes after allegedly shooting at a family member while in a moving vehicle in Willingboro Township, according to officials.
The rehab work on Collings Avenue Bridge that would close it for three months is postponed until further notice. The bridge on the border of Gloucester City and Camden will remain fully operational until a new project date is determined, according to Camden County officials.
According to Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the best cheesesteaks are in Jersey at Donkey’s Place in Camden. She said they are better than the “million” she’s tried in Philadelphia.
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🦈 Sharks at the Park: The Edelman Fossil Park & Museum of Rowan University will host a series of events about the prehistoric sea, including a foam party, a quarry shark tooth contest, and a trivia night. ⏰ Friday Aug. 7-Sunday, Aug. 16, various times 💵 Various prices 📍 66 Million Mosasaur Way, Mantua.
Right as work was set to begin on the Collings Avenue Bridge, Camden County announced Wednesday that the $2.5 million repair project is postponed until further notice.
The steel bridge over Newton Creek at the border of Gloucester and Camden cities will remain fully operational until a new project start date is determined, the county announced Wednesday.
The county is still waiting on some New Jersey Department of Transportation permits that have yet to be issued, a county spokesperson said.
A new start date for the project will be announced at a later time.
The bridge was previously scheduled to close for about three months starting on Tuesday for the repair project. Traffic headed towards the bridge was to be diverted to I-676 via Broadway and Morgan Boulevard.
The project includes replacing the concrete deck, sidewalks, and parapet, as well as refurbishing support beams and bearings.
“These improvements to the Collings Avenue Bridge are essential to keeping our infrastructure safe and reliable,” Camden County Commissioner Al Dyer, liaison to the Department of Public Works, previously said in a statement. “We want to thank our residents for their patience during the next few months and recommend that they give themselves extra time in their commute while detours are in place.”
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill dissed Philadelphia cheesesteaks earlier this summer, and she just doubled down.
“The best cheesesteaks actually aren’t in Philly,” she declares in a video posted to her social media Wednesday afternoon centered ona recent visit to Donkey’s Place in Camden. “They’re right here in Jersey, and we’re about to go have one.”
In the video, Sherrillleans against the bar next to a customer drinking a beer and sporting a Phillies cap. The first-term Democrat notes with a grin that a “real-life” Philadelphian is “here in Jersey, getting a cheesesteak!”
She noted in the post that a friend of hers from California had mentioned the cheesesteak place to her — showing that the acclaimed Haddon Avenue spot, founded in 1943, is known across the country. She said she “never doubted that New Jersey has the best cheesesteaks,” but had to visit Donkey’s to “confirm” for herself.
I never doubted that New Jersey has the best cheesesteaks, but I still had to stop by Donkey's Place in Camden earlier this summer to confirm it for myself. pic.twitter.com/48JV0PavJQ
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) August 5, 2026
Anthony Bourdain felt similarly.
In 2015, Bourdain, who grew up in North Jersey, opined on an episode of his Parts Unknown show that finding the best cheesesteak in “the center of the cheesesteak universe” may require crossing the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. The restaurant proudly displays his quote on its website: “The best cheesesteak in the area might well come from New Jersey.”
During her visit to Donkey’s, Sherrill got in on the cheesesteak action with owner Rob Lucas Jr., whose father, Bob Lucas, previously owned the restaurant. The younger Lucas’ grandfather, Olympic boxer Leon “Donkey” Lucas, was the founder.
Equipped with plastic gloves and a griddle spatula for each hand, the governor assists Lucas by shaking loads of seasoning on a pile of onions.
“Take three pieces of cheese, put it right on top of that,” he directs her in the video.
Sherrill noted she loves onions, in contrast to the three orders of “no onions” ahead of her.
Donkey’s steaks are endowed with white American cheese and come with fried onions on a poppy-seed kaiser roll.
“Guys, the verdict’s in, and you probably know I’ve been going to Army-Navy in Philly for years,” Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, proudly says, sitting with her creation. “I’ve had a million cheesesteaks. There is no better cheesesteak than here at Donkey’s.”
The historic Army-Navy football game was first played in Philadelphia in 1899 and it has been hosted in the City of Brotherly Love more times than any other city. The last time it was in Philly was in 2022, and it will be hosted by New Jersey, in East Rutherford, this year before returning to Pennsylvania’s largest cityin 2027.
Sherrill visited Donkey’s in late June the same day she visited Camden’s World Cup fan fest at Wiggins Waterfront Park just days before the deadline for her first New Jersey budget. During that appearance, local officials praised the governor for showing up for South Jersey.
During a speech on the fan fest stage, Sherrill boasted that as visitors flood to the region for the World Cup, “the best cheesesteaks are not across the river, they’re right here at Donkey’s.”
Freelance journalist Benjamin Shore will not have to stop filing public records requests in South Jersey after a judge dismissed Cherry Hill schools’ lawsuit alleging that his requests amounted to harassment.
The Cherry Hill Board of Education filed a 128-page lawsuit in Superior Court in February claiming that the “numerous, repeated and vexatious” requests that Shore filed under New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act qualified as harassment and “substantially interrupted” school operations.
Shore operates the online outlet Shore Investigates, a news site focused on Cherry Hill. His brother Daniel was also named in the lawsuit.
The suit sought to bar Shore and his outlet from submitting requests for public documents for one year. It also sought to shut down an online portal that Shore created where the public can file requests instead of using the district’s website.
Journalist Ben Shore in front of the Cherry Hill Public Schools Board of Education headquarters in the Arthur Lewis Administration Building in Cherry Hill on Thursday April 2, 2026.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
“The Board tried to stop us from requesting records,” Benjamin Shore said in an email following the dismissal. “Instead, the case ended with its complaint dismissed with prejudice and its unsupported allegations rejected. Shore Investigates will continue following the records, asking difficult questions, and keeping the public informed.”
Cherry Hill Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The school board’s lawsuit specifically referenced 18 OPRA requests that Shore had filed over the course of a year and a half, averaging out to roughly one request per month.
The board claimed that as a result, district personnel, including the custodian of records, spent more than 100 hours reviewing and redacting documents and responding to Shore’s requests.
Shore argued that the amount and frequency of his requests is in line with standard journalistic practice.
Superior Court Judge Michael Mikulski agreed, dismissing the suit on July 31 and stating that the district had failed to provide evidence of Shore’s ill intent.
Instead, the judge found that Shore actually displayed a “willingness to cooperate with the Board in making the requests less intrusive,” he wrote in the seven-page ruling.
“The Court finds the Board has failed to establish by clear and convincing evidence that Defendants filed their requests with the intent to disrupt agency operations,” the ruling concluded.
Journalist Ben Shore in front of the Cherry Hill Public Schools Board of Education headquarters in the Arthur Lewis Administration Building in Cherry Hill on Thursday April 2, 2026.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer
Mikulski determined that the suit met the requirements to be dismissed under New Jersey’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, which is meant to shield people from baseless lawsuits meant to silence political speech or engagement.
The law allows defendants to request an early, expedited dismissal of a lawsuit and to recover legal fees if the suit is ultimately tossed.
While Shore succeeded in getting the case thrown out, he said it still had its intended effect.
“The lawsuit nevertheless accomplished something before it was dismissed: it chilled our reporting. We paused records requests and held back stories because every new inquiry appeared to carry the threat of further litigation,” Shore said. “That is what it means to report with a target on your back.”
The new law enables governmental entities like the Cherry Hill Board of Education to sue someone seeking public information if they can prove the request amounts to harassment or substantially prevents them from doing their jobs.
The new law also no longer guarantees that people who successfully overturn record request denials in court can recoup their legal fees.
“We knew when they amended OPRA in 2024 to include this provision that it would sadly be weaponized to retaliate against people who seek public records,” Shore’s attorney, CJ Griffin, said in a statement. “But thankfully the trial court agreed this suit had no merit and that my clients were nothing but polite and had no intention of disrupting agency operations — they simply wanted government records to report on matters of public concern.”
“No one should be hauled into court for filing public records requests, especially not reporters who keep us informed about the public business,” Griffin said.
