The New Jersey courts are continuing to establish interim protocols for court operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, including by prescribing health and safety precautions to minimize risks during necessary in-person interactions. Special Civil Part Officer responsibilities include various in-person functions, including serving summonses and complaints in landlord/tenant actions; serving and executing warrants for removal; and serving goods and chattel writ executions, wage executions, and other process. This Supplement to Directive #01-15 (“Special Civil Part Officers”) provides standards for conducting those important duties during COVID-19.
Special Civil Part Officers routinely enter Judiciary facilities, which are subject to occupancy and conduct requirements established by the Supreme Court. In performing their duties, however, Special Civil Part Officers spend most of their time in other locations, including residential and commercial locations that currently are subject to restrictions on social interactions established by various Executive Orders. Read More