New Jersey Superior Courts
New Jersey Superior Courts are the trial courts in New Jersey. There is a Superior Court in each of the state's 21 counties, and approximately 360 Superior Court trial judges across the state.[1] Superior Courts are divided into five main types: Criminal cases, civil cases, family cases and tax cases. Cases from any of these trial courts may be appealed in the Appellate Division, and Superior Court appellate decisions may be appealed to the Supreme Court.
Superior Court vicinages
The Superior Courts in New Jersey are grouped into 15 vicinages, or districts.[1]
| Vicinage | Counties served |
|---|---|
| New Jersey Vicinage 1 | Atlantic and Cape May |
| New Jersey Vicinage 2 | Bergen County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 3 | Burlington County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 4 | Camden County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 5 | Essex County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 6 | Hudson County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 7 | Mercer County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 8 | Middlesex County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 9 | Monmouth County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 10 | Morris and Sussex |
| New Jersey Vicinage 11 | Passaic County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 12 | Union County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 13 | Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren |
| New Jersey Vicinage 14 | Ocean County |
| New Jersey Vicinage 15 | Gloucester, Cumberland and Salem |
Superior court judges
Judges for the New Jersey Superior Courts are selected via the gubernatorial appointment of judges method. They serve for a seven-year term, after which they become eligible for reappointment. If reappointed and reconfirmed by the Senate, the judges receive tenure, "which allows them to remain in their posts until they reach the age of 70".[1]
Recall judges
In New Jersey, all state judges are required to retire once they reach the age of 70.[2] However, they are often recalled to serve temporary assignments. Assignments for recall judges are for a specific vicinage and range from a few months to a few years.[3]
Superior court divisions
Criminal court
"Criminal cases are those in which a defendant is accused of a serious crime, such as robbery, theft, drug possession or murder." Most criminal cases are heard by a 12 member jury trial, though some are resolved via plea bargain.[1]
Civil court
"Civil lawsuits are cases in which a plaintiff claims that he or she has been injured by the actions of the defendant." Most civil cases are heard by a 6 member jury, though some cases are settled out-of-court.[1]
Family court
"Family cases are civil cases in which the disputes involve children, spouses or domestic partners. Examples of family cases are those involving divorce, adoption, juvenile delinquency, child abuse, child support, and domestic violence. Most cases in the Family Court are decided by a judge instead of a jury."[1]
Tax court
"Tax Court judges review the decisions of county boards of taxation, which determine how much a property should be taxed. Tax Court judges also review the decisions of the State Division of Taxation on such matters as the state income tax, sales tax and business tax. There are 12 Tax Court judges in New Jersey."[1]
Appellate division
- Main article: New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division
Decisions of the other four Superior Court divisions may be appealed to the Superior Court Appellate Division. "In the Appellate Division, cases are reviewed and decided by panels of two or three judges.There are no juries or witnesses in Appellate Division cases, and no new evidence is considered. Instead, lawyers make their legal arguments to the judges."[1]
External links
- Criminal Practice Division
- Civil Practice Division
- Family Practice Division
- List of Superior Courts by County
- New Jersey Judiciary Press Releases
- New Jersey Real-Time News, "N.J. Superior Court judges beware: Gov. Christie may be after you," May 07, 2012
- New Jersey Real-Time News "N.J. court punishes judge for yelling at woman" June 17, 2011
- Westfield Patch "Ciarrocca Drops Reelection Bid to Focus on Judicial Confirmation" June 22, 2011 (dead link)
- Westfield Patch "Ciarrocca Nominated for State Judgeship by Christie" June 21, 2011
- New Jersey On-Line LLC "Gov. Christie announces Superior Court judge nomination before bar association finishes review" March 08, 2011
Footnotes
Federal courts:
Third Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of New Jersey • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of New Jersey
State courts:
New Jersey Supreme Court • New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division • New Jersey Superior Courts • New Jersey Municipal Courts • New Jersey Tax Court
State resources:
Courts in New Jersey • New Jersey judicial elections • Judicial selection in New Jersey
