Know Your Rights to Access Public Meetings Under New Jersey’s Sunshine Law

New Jersey’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA), otherwise known as the “Sunshine Law,” gives the public the right to be present at all meetings of public bodies and to witness all phases of their deliberation, policy formulation, and decision-making.

The New Jersey Legislature passed OPMA in 1975 to provide access to public bodies’ discussion and decisions regarding public affairs in the form of public meetings. The Legislature believed a lack of information would lessen public confidence in government and impact the democratic function of holding officials accountable. OPMA was enacted in an effort to address that concern.

Unfortunately, the Legislature has not updated OPMA in a meaningful way since then, even though the technology that is used by public bodies and members of the public has changed radically. As a result, there are almost no requirements for public bodies to use technology to facilitate access to public meetings.

Learn more about what OPMA requires and what to do when your rights are violated below.

The resources on this site are meant to educate the public on legal rights in New Jersey. It is not legal advice and is not in any way intended to be a substitute for legal advice or representation. Information on this page may have changed since it was written. Attorneys consulting these resources should make certain the law is still valid.