Areas of Expertise
Racial Injustice and Criminal Cases
Harold Cassidy obtained a reputation for successfully handling appellate cases involving constitutional issues and the rights of those accused of crimes. Won percentage of appeals three to four times greater than the average state wide percentage. Some of the cases of public importance in this area of practice include:
The first case in New Jersey, and probably anywhere in the nation, in which an appellate court held in a cross racial identification case, that the state was compelled to hold a line-up which included non-defendants; NJ v. Russell (1981)
Rubin “Hurricane” Carter – was a member of the legal team which helped win Mr. Carter, a well known professional Boxer wrongfully convicted of triple murder, his freedom in court proceedings which lasted nineteen years. Involvement spanned eight years; NJ v. Ruben “Hurricane” Carter (1977 – 1985)
Counsel in New Jersey Supreme Court’s leading case establishing the right of one accused of crime to secure independent counsel; NJ v. Bellucci (1980)
Counsel in a case securing an opinion from the New Jersey Supreme Court limiting the ability of government to obtain a wiretap when the wiretap orders were the product of abusive government intrusion in the private matters of citizens; NJ v. Jaffe (1980)