'Crisis' In NJ Courtrooms As Judge Shortage Persists

NEW JERSEY — The continued shortage of judges on New Jersey's courtroom benches may cause more trial suspensions and further delay existing criminal and civil proceedings, said court officials.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and the New Jersey Courts have been urging state lawmakers to fill those vacancies, as the judge shortage has persisted over the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are 58 vacancies on the courts as of Tuesday, and another 22judges are expected to retire between now and the end of 2023, said Administrative Director of the Courts Glenn A. Grant.

Grant told the Senate's Budget and Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that the court system is not able to do its job for the citizens of New Jersey as the problem continues, and the Judiciary is seeking to change its budget appropriation to better support the pretrial system.

"We are no longer headed toward a crisis. We are in the middle of one," he said.

Judiciary officials warned lawmakers last year that they needed to reduce the number of vacancies to between 25 and 30, rather than the average of 50+ they have been operating under for the past three years.

And in February, the state judiciary suspended matrimonial and civil trials at courtrooms in six New Jersey counties as the judge shortage stood at 69.

While these proceedings are delayed, criminal trials were also "severely hampered" by the public health emergency, as well. There was a sharp increase in the number of people on pretrial release and in the number of detained defendant trials over the past three years, said Grant.

The judiciary is asking to increase its Pretrial Services funding in the 2023-24 budget by $6 million for a total of $30 million; for an additional $6-7 million appropriation to provide more expansive court notices in different languages; and a $25 million appropriation for the Department of Human Services to fund services for pretrial defendants.

State lawmakers are nominating and confirming new judges, but not at a high enough rate, said Grant.

"Merely keeping pace with retirements does not help us dig out of the hole," he said.

"Without more judges, we may well be faced with similar needs to suspend civil and matrimonial trials in other vicinages."

Grant mentioned Bergen County will have 14 vacancies by August 5, even as four more judges were recently added. Passaic County has six vacancies currently and will have eight by the end of this year if more aren't approved.

In the meantime, Grant said, people who filed their cases three or four years ago are still waiting trial, because the court system has to prioritize emergencies such as domestic-violence complaints, criminal and juvenile delinquency matters, and proceedings in which a person's liberty is at stake.

"Victims seeking financial compensation are left in limbo," he said. "Married couples with children who are seeking to work out divorce agreements have their lives put on hold. Businesses are unable to settle contract disputes. And our civil, general equity, family, and criminal divisions continue to face historic backlogs."

Chief Justice Rabner has repeatedly warned of New Jersey's judicial shortage. The vacancies impose heightened responsibilities on sitting judges, who handle thousands of proceedings and motions each month, he said.

The suspension of civil and matrimonial trials affects Vicinage 13 (Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren Counties) and Vicinage 15 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem Counties). The judiciary will allow civil and divorce cases in the impacted areas under limited circumstances.

Patch's Josh Bakan contributed to this article.