New Jersey Legal Resources

The Judiciary, or NJ court system, is one of the three branches of government in New Jersey (the other two are the Legislature and the Executive Branch).  There is a unified statewide court system with several different kinds of courts.  The courts include the New Jersey Supreme Court; The Superior Court, which includes the Appellate Division; Tax Court; and the Municipal Courts.

The New Jersey Supreme Court, often referred to as the “court of last resort”, is the state’s highest appellate court.  Supreme Court decisions and oral arguments help lay the foundation for interpreting and applying state laws.

The Appellate Division of the Superior Court hear appeals from trial courts, tax court, and administrative agencies.  The Appellate Division of the Superior Court is an intermediate appellate court.  The Supreme Court of New Jersey is highest appellate court in the state. 

The Superior Court is often called the “trial court” because it is where criminal, civil, and family law trials are conducted.  There is a Superior Court in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.  The Superior Court Clerk’s Office manages several statewide functions for the Judiciary including court record storage and retrieval, uncontested foreclosures, judgement liens, and attorney registration.

The Tax Court resolves disputes involving local property taxes, state income taxes, homestead rebates, and sales and business taxes.   

The Municipal Courts is where most of the cases filed in New Jersey’s courts are heard.  The municipals courts hear a variety of types of cases including motor-vehicle offenses, minor criminal offenses known as disorderly persons offenses.  Cases involving hunting, fishing, and boating laws and minor disputes between neighbors are also heard at the municipal courts.  These courts are operated by the city, township, or borough in which the court is located. 

The New Jersey Supreme Court, often referred to as the “court of last resort”, is the state’s highest appellate court.  Supreme Court decisions and oral arguments help lay the foundation for interpreting and applying state laws.

• The Supreme Court is made up of the Chief Justice and six associate justices.  The current Chief Justice is Stuart Rabner, who served as the New Jersey Attorney General, chief council to Governor John Corzine, and as a Federal Prosecutor at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. 
• The Chief Justice also serves as the administrative head of the court system overseeing management of the State’s lower courts. As such, The Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey are promulgated by the Supreme Court.  Full-text of these rules, which also include the Rules of Professional Conduct, can be found on the court's website.  In addition, the NJ State Library has the Gann Law Books print addition of the rules, which provides annotations and the history of the rules.  The library has a collection of the Gann Law Books going back to 1969, as well as additional print materials dating back further.  

• In addition to hearing cases, there are a number of Supreme Court Committees that focus on a specific area of the Judicial system.  There are committees on Judicial Conduct,  Professional Ethics, Civil Practice, Criminal Practice, Family Practice, and a variety of other topics.  
• Some of the proceedings before the Supreme Court can be watched on a webcast.   
• Recent opinions of the Supreme Court are found on the NJ Courts website, as are recent correspondence of the Court.  For older opinions and correspondence, the NJ State Library provides public access to Lexis and Westlaw, a variety of Court Reporters in print.  We have a small collection of Supreme Court Cases on microfilm.  
• The NJ Courts website provides a number of forms for Supreme Court proceedings.

Court appeals in New Jersey go through the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. This is an intermediate appellate court. The state Supreme Court is the highest appellate court.  

Appeals come from trial courts, tax court, and administrative agencies. 

The division is composed of 32 judges divided into 8 parts. The division decides around 6,500 appeals and 10,000 motions each year. 

Appellate Court opinions are posted at 10 a.m. each business day. Expected opinions for the following business day also are posted at 10 a.m. 

Alternative resolution programs can streamline the appeals process for some types of cases.  These include:

• Civil Appeals Settlement Program (CASP). The clerk’s office identifies cases that might be settled with the help of a retired judge.  Alternatively, appeals with complex issues could go to a pre-argument conference. The conference helps clarify those issues prior to briefing. 
• Sentencing Calendars. Appeals of criminal sentences   are argued without full briefing due to their narrow scope. This shortened process helps resolve those cases more quickly.

For information on how to represent yourself in an appeal, visit the NJ Courts Self-Help page. 

The Tax Court can review these cases:

• Local property tax.
• State income tax.
• Homestead rebate appeals. 
• Sales and business.
• **You cannot represent yourself in a sales or business tax case. You must have an attorney represent you. The only exception is if you are the sole proprietor of the business.

With few exceptions, you need a final decision from the Division of Taxation or the county board of taxation before you can file. 

If you already have a decision, you can file with eCourts. If Tax Court does not grant your tax relief, you can appeal it. Tax court appeals go through the Appellate Division of Superior Court.

You can find guidance and information on navigating the NJ Tax Court at the NJ Courts webpage.

NJ municipal courts resolve almost 6 million cases each year. If you have an upcoming court date, there are several ways that you can prepare.

At the beginning of the court session, the municipal judge will give an opening statement that will explain what will happen during the proceeding. Watch this video of a typical opening statement to better plan for your court proceeding.

The Judiciary has several online tools that allow court users to conveniently view and often manage or resolve municipal court cases.

NJMCDirect is a fast, secure, and convenient way to plead guilty and pay traffic tickets or other Municipal Court complaints, make payments on installment plans, enter a not guilty plea, and request a plea agreement from a municipal prosecutor (for certain charges).

Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) can be used to upload documents related to a municipal court case, request court records, and request a new court date. 

Municipal Court Case Search allows court users to find a ticket or complaint number. 

The Violations Bureau Schedule shows payable amounts for common traffic violations where a court appearance isn't required.

Refer to the Recently Enacted Laws Concerning the Municipal Courts for legislation affecting NJ municipal courts. 

A collection of Municipal Court Case Law dating back to 1964 is also available.