From the NJSBA’s Daily Briefing:
Starting July 11, all tort and contract claims filed against the state of New Jersey must be submitted through a digital portal on the state’s website. The new process is required for claims involving all state departments, agencies, employees and officials, including state colleges and universities except for Rutgers University. Learn more about the procedure here.
With the approval of the Chief Justice, Judge Catuogno and I are delighted to announce:
NOTICE FROM HONORABLE JOHN D. O’DWYER, P.J.Cv.
As of March 1, 2023, all mandatory Civil Arbitrations in the Bergen County Vicinage will be conducted In-Person at the Bergen County Courthouse. The provisions of Rule 4:21A-4 as to appearance at Arbitration will be in effect.
Please alert colleagues as to this change and requirement.
The Supreme Court in the attached October 24, 2022 Order has concluded the temporary suspension of the requirement to submit paper “courtesy copies” to the judge in Civil and Family matters. Accordingly, effective January 1, 2023, attorneys must send paper copies to the judge as required by Rule 1:6-4 (“Superior Court; Place for Filing Motions, Orders to Show Cause and Orders”).
Questions on the Court’s Order may be directed to the Civil Practice Division at (609) 815-2900 X54900 or the Family Practice Division at (609) 815-2900 x55350.
/s/ Glenn A. Grant
Administrative Director of the Courts
Dated: October 25, 2022
Law firms are flooding the Civil Division Office with telephone calls on the “day of” remote calendars asking for Zoom Links to be re-sent to addresses that have previously been verified and provided by the offending law firms in eCourts.
It appears that the reasons firms are asking for Zoom Links to be re-sent are internal to those law firms. By way of example:
In each instance, court staff are providing Zoom Links as instructed.
At present, the Bergen Vicinage is down fifty-one (51) staff and as you can well imagine, imposing another unnecessary step or interruption is challenging.
The Bergen County Bar Association has always risen to the occasion, and I ask for your cooperation now in ensuring that information provided by your firm is correct, that it is updated appropriately, when necessary, and that internal protocols be put in place to address this issue.
I thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.
/s/ Bonnie J. Mizdol, A.J.S.C.
Bergen County
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, effective April 14, 2022, James S. McCann is appointed as a Special Civil Part Officer (SCPO) for Vicinage2, Bergen County. SCPO McCann will be responsible for wage and chattel executions according to the last two digits of docket numbers ending in 10-14 and 60-79 or as determined by the Civil Case Management Office.
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Commencing on or about March 14, 2022, the Law Division will conduct a select number of in-person jury trials. It is anticipated there will be two in-person trials at a time. Virtual trials will also continue determined by resource and space considerations. Jury selection of in-person jury trials will be remote. Selected jurors will then come to the courthouse for trial. Read More
This Notice is to advise that an initial arbitrator training course will be offered as a webcast on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in conjunction with the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA).
Pursuant to Rule 1:40-12( c ), all individuals wishing to serve as arbitrators in the court-annexed civil arbitration program must complete at least three classroom hours of initial training in a course approved by the Administrative Office of the Courts. This training will provide instruction on applicable statutes, court rules and administrative directives and policies; standards of conduct; and applicable procedures for conducting arbitrations. It is intended for those individuals who meet the qualifications set forth in Rule 4:21A-2(b) for admission to the roster of arbitrators.
Individuals seeking to attend this initial arbitrator training must register in advance. The registration link is available on the NJSBA webpage at WebcastInitial Arbitration Training Program (njsba.com).
Any questions regarding this Notice or the Civil Arbitration Program may be directed to Melissa Czartoryski, Chief, Civil Court Programs, Administrative Office of the Courts, Hughes Justice Complex, P.O. Box 981, Trenton, NJ 08625; telephone (609) 815-2900 ext. 54900; email: [email protected].
/s/ Glenn A. Grant
Administrative Director of the Courts
Dated: January 21, 2022
In light of the current COVID-19 surge and consistent with COVID-19 public health recommendations, the Judiciary will reduce on-site presence of judges and staff for the first two weeks of January 2022. As we monitor and assess the changing COVID-19 conditions, we currently plan to resume regular on-site presence as of Monday, January 17, 2022.
During this period, notwithstanding the reduced on-site presence, all state court locations will continue to be fully open to the public and all judicial operations will continue uninterrupted. State court judges and court staff will support all essential functions and conduct emergent matters. In-person trials already in progress may continue. Virtual jury selection and virtual trials will continue but jurors will not report in-person for new trials until after January 17. Certain in-person court events will also proceed as scheduled. The Presiding Judge for Administration of the Appellate Division, Vicinage Assignment Judges, and the Presiding Judge of the Tax Court will provide judges with more detailed guidance as to ongoing and scheduled in-person court events during this time.
Managers will provide further direction regarding work requirements, including as to employee requirements to report on-site to court locations during this time.
Everyone is reminded of the importance of following the masking and social distancing requirements when working in on-site locations. Care should also be taken when working remotely and outside of work.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week issued revised isolation and quarantine recommendations. In light of those recommendations, the Judiciary is in the process of revising certain COVID-19 policies so as to reduce the time for exclusion from work of employees who have tested positive, been diagnosed, developed symptoms, or have been exposed to the virus. Further details will be provided.
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner
Administrative Director Glenn A. Grant
The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) Working Group on Jury Selection has formally submitted its interim report to the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Judicial Conference on Jury Selection that will be conducted on November 10th and November 12th. The report reflects the collective wisdom, analysis, and extensive experience in the courtroom and in thought leadership in the New Jersey Legal Community. See below to read the report in its entirety.
The Bergen County Bar Association ( BCBA) leadership has made significant contributions to the interim report and we will continue to support the NJSBA and our allies in preserving peremptory challenges and proposing meaningful reform to the jury selection process to eliminate or substantially reduce the impact of implicit and explicit bias in selecting a fair and impartial jury from a fair cross-section of the community.
The filing of this interim report is just the beginning of our joint efforts to reform the jury selection process and, if any member wishes to share an experience during jury selection where explicit or implicit bias affected the jury selection process, please share your experience with the BCBA and we will consider how that experience may be helpful in demonstrating the needs for historic reforms in New Jersey’s jury selection procedures.
Members of the BCBA and the public are invited to attend the virtual Judicial Conference. Information can be found by clicking here.
To pre-register (which is encouraged), please click here.
Jury Selection Interim Report – Final Version