New Jersey State Courts
The judicial system of New Jersey features one federal district court, and within the state there are also many trial courts, some with subject-matter jurisdiction and others with general jurisdiction. The trial courts feed into the state superior court as well as finally, the court of last resort in the state, the state’s supreme court.
The one federal court for the state is the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Any appeals from here are dealt with by the federal 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals.
New Jersey also has one court specifically for dealing with federal bankruptcy issues.The United States bankruptcy court, District of New Jersey.
The trial court system in the state is mainly made up of New Jersey superior courts, which can hear cases that relate to civil and criminal issues, and also deal with family law and juvenile issues. There are 21 counties in New Jersey and each has its own superior court. These have general jurisdiction, but there are also courts with limited jurisdiction.
Municipal courts in the state deal with smaller issues such as traffic offences and ordinance issues for a specific area. They have limited jurisdiction and cases can be referred to superior courts.
There is also a specific tax court in the state, for those appealing the Taxation Board decisions.
| Court Name: | New Jersey Supreme Court |
| Address: | R. J. Hughes Justice Complex P.O. 970 Trenton, NJ 08625 |
| Phone: | (609) 815-2955 |
| Website URL: | https://njcourts.gov/courts/supreme.html?lang=eng |
Intermediate and Supreme Courts
For appeals, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court acts as an intermediate. The judges within can hear appeals that have originated within any of the lower courts including the trial courts and the New Jersey Tax Court. Thousands of cases go through this appeals process within the Superior Court yearly.
It is not the state of last resort, though, this responsibility is with the Supreme Court. This court can hear appeals relating to constitutional issues. It is also involved with capital punishment cases, and if the appellate division failed to reach a decision. The New Jersey Supreme Court has to administer and oversee all of the courts and attorneys operating throughout the state.
How to Find New Jersey Court Records Online
You can use our simple search tool to find New Jersey court records that have been made available online. Details of convictions, marriages, trials, pleas and sentencing are just some of the records publicly available.
Under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act of the mid 1990s, the citizens have the right to access and copy these records assuming they are not protected by another law. This is in the interests of transparency. Many records from court cases in the state have already been digitized and made available to search by trial number or surname.