
Quoting
That Guy
You have to admit though, that to expect every officer to be intimately familiar with the laws/rules and regulations of every one of the 50 states is a bit of a stretch. You also have to realize that most neighboring states (to California) require and utilize a sticker on the rear plate, and that inspection stickers stuck on the windshield is mostly an east coast the "no sticker on the plate" is mainly an east court occurrence.
No, a NJ should not be treated any differently than any other driver, but with the "front windshield sticker" being an anomaly out west, I don't see anything unreasonable with regards to the stop.