You Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library NEW JERSEY JUDICIARY ANNUAL REPORT 2011- 2012 You Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library The State of New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D. Acting Administrative Director of the Courts Steven D. Bonville Chief of Staff Winifred M. Comfort Director, Office of Communications and Community Relations Deirdre M. Naughton Director, Office of Professional and Governmental Services James R. Rebo Chief Information Officer Robert Smith Director, Trial Court Services Shelley R. Webster Director, Office of Management and Administrative Services You Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library Table of Contents Letter from Chief Justice Stuart Rabner ................................3 Letter from Acting Administrative Director Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D. ............................................4 Year in Review ........................................................................5 Supreme Court ......................................................................9 Appellate Division of Superior Court....................................11 On the Move ........................................................................15 The Trial Courts....................................................................18 Family Division ....................................................................19 Criminal Division..................................................................21 Civil Division ......................................................................22 General Equity Division........................................................23 Tax Court ..............................................................................24 Probation ..............................................................................25 Municipal Court....................................................................29 Vicinages ..............................................................................32 N.J. Judicial Council ..............................................................33 Judges and Justices of the N.J. Judiciary ................................34 Statistical Summary ..............................................................37 You Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library LETTER FROM Chief Justice Stuart Rabner Thank you for the opportunity afford litigants, attorneys, and to share the good work that the public better access to in- our judges and staff are doing formation online. to ensure quality justice for everyone who uses the New We know that true justice de- Jersey court system. pends not only on the fairness of court rulings but also on a We continue to serve the pub- system that is accessible to all. lic in a manner that is consis- Everyone who interacts with tent with the Judiciary’s the Judiciary – in a court- mission: to work as an inde- house, by phone, or through pendent branch of govern- the Internet – should come ment, entrusted by the away from their encounter Constitution with the respon- confident that they have been sibility to resolve disputes treated with courtesy and re- fairly and justly; to preserve spect. To that end, we are pro- the rule of law; and to protect ceeding with our Access & the rights and liberties the law Fairness Initiative, which will guarantees. help judges and staff provide the best possible court experi- The word “entrusted” conveys ences for all who turn to the a great deal. It means that our Judiciary to seek justice. fellow citizens count on us to do the best we can for the Finally, it is vital that we con- people of New Jersey. It ex- tinue to take steps to educate plains why we always strive for the public about the work of excellence. the Judiciary. Our system of government depends on edu- As you can see from this re- cated and informed citizens. port, we have made progress We will continue to serve in many areas this past year. them well by improving the We don’t just aspire to decide overall level of civics educa- disputes fairly and justly; we tion in our communities. To make every effort to address date, thanks to the help of our them promptly to respond to colleagues in Florida, we have litigants’ real needs. We pro- created a joint program with mote new efficiencies and the State Bar and trained practices as well as alternative scores of attorneys and judges methods of dispute resolution who, in turn, will speak with like mediation and arbitra- local community groups about tion. the role of the Judiciary. We also continue to try to im- These are a few of the ways plement new technology to that members of the New Jer- better serve the public. In re- sey court family strive to earn cent years, we have increas- the public’s trust. I thank each ingly relied on media like of you for your hard work, pro- YouTube and Twitter to get fessionalism, and dedication information to court users to the mission of the Judiciary. quickly and efficiently. We have also made improvements Chief Justice Stuart to our existing technology to Rabner 3 New Jersey Judiciary LETTER FROMYou Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library Acting Administrative Director Judge Glenn A. Grant The judges and staff of the statewide program has im- New Jersey Judiciary have proved the lives of its gradu- much to be proud of this year. ates, but also their families From technology initiatives to and communities. Drug courts therapeutic jurisprudence to save lives. They save money. public outreach, our court sys- They work. tem continues to be a national leader in serving the commu- Some of our partner organiza- nity in practical, proven ways. tions depend heavily on the Judiciary to provide real-time We share many of our accom- access to our electronic case plishments with public and management systems to per- private partners, with whom form their work. Law enforce- we have collaborated to share ment agencies, the New Jersey resources, expertise, and tech- Department of Human Serv- nical assistance. Our ongoing ices, and the New Jersey partnership with the Annie E. Motor Vehicle Commission Casey Foundation to make the are some of our many partners Juvenile Detention Alterna- who rely on our IT systems. tives Initiative a statewide program is only one example Other frequent users include of how we can leverage those attorneys, the media, and the relationships to do bigger and public, all of whom receive better things. critical information from our electronic systems and our County by county, we are website. Moreover, our judges finding alternatives to keep and court managers are turn- juveniles awaiting adjudica- ing more and more to infor- tion out of detention facilities mation technology to and in their communities. streamline process and meet Those alternatives are devel- objectives. Our progress in oped in partnership with the building and improving these New Jersey Juvenile Justice systems is yet another measure Commission. Year by year, the of our success. number of youth held in de- tention continues to decline, As you read this report, you with no detrimental effects on will see the efforts of more public safety. We are grateful than 9,000 individuals who, to the Casey Foundation for together, comprise the New helping us make that happen, Jersey Judiciary. These are the and we are eager to share what people who work together we have learned with repre- every day to achieve a single sentatives from other states goal: high quality justice for who continue to visit New Jer- every court user. sey to learn about this great program. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our work. The drug court program con- tinues to be a successful part- Glenn A. Grant, nership involving judges, J.A.D., Acting Administra- prosecutors, public defenders, tive Director of the Courts substance abuse counselors, and probation personnel. Our Annual Report 2011- 2012 4 You Are Viewing an Archived Copy from the New Jersey State Library Year Reviewin Judiciary and State Bar Join to The initial Benchmarks training is worth two professional- ism credits for attorneys, who are required under court rule Launch Benchmarks Adult to earn continuing legal education (CLE) credits through- out their careers. Each presentation an attorney provides Civics Education Project to an adult community group, such as a Rotary club, Kiwa- nis club, or even a homeowners’ association, is worth an- other professionalism credit. Attorneys can give up to The New Jersey Judiciary joined with the New Jersey three presentations every two years to earn CLE credits. State Bar Association to launch the Benchmarks Adult Civics Education project. Modeled after a similar program The first Benchmarks training was delivered to approxi- in Florida, the Benchmarks project provides training to at- mately 60 attorneys at the NJSBA annual meeting in May torneys and judges on how to deliver civics education pro- 2012. grams to adult community groups. Studies have shown that an increased knowledge of gov- The program addresses the alarming decline in public ernment and basic civics leads to a higher level of public awareness and understanding of how government works. trust and confidence in the government. The Benchmarks A democracy based on the rule of law requires an in- project is one way that that courts and the bar can help formed citizenry to work properly, but civics education has address the lack of understanding and trust in govern- been reduced or eliminated from many