Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find information about a motion related to my case?

You can make an inquiry about a case-related motion by searching the Civil Motion Calendar on-line.

I want to file suit against someone -- in what court should I file?

If you wish to bring suit against a defendant to collect an amount of money up to $15,000, you may sue in the Special Civil Part. If your claim is $3000 or less, you may sue in the small claims section of Special Civil Part. If you believe defendant owes you more than $15,000, your case should be filed in the Law Division of Superior Court.

Please note that if you believe you are entitled to damages greater than $15,000 but still wish to sue in Special Civil Part, you give up your right to recover damages over $15,000. The additional money cannot later be claimed in separate lawsuit.

For more information on procedures for filing civil suits, please see the Civil Division pages.

How can I get a copy of a pleading filed in the Superior Court?

Copies of non-confidential pleadings from Superior Court cases from 1948 to the present are available. Requestors are charged a copy cost. For more information on obtaining specific documents, please call or write the Records Management Center of the Superior Court, 171 Jersey Street, CN-967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967, (609) 777-0092. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.

How can I download Supreme Court and Appellate Court opinions?

The opinions of the Supreme Court and Appellate Court are available through the Rutgers Camden Law School Library.

How can I find out more about volunteer programs in the New Jersey court system ?

There are a number of court programs which utilize volunteer citizens to assist the court in dealing with dispute resolution, juvenile offenders, abused and neglected children, and adults under guardianship. For more information, please see the pages on volunteer programs.

How do I go about arranging for access to the courts if I have a disability?

The Judiciary is committed to providing its services, programs, and activities in a manner that assures that all individuals have equal access. For information about how to make a request for accommodation, please see the pages on court access for the disabled.

What recourse do I have if I believe a judge has acted improperly?

In instances in which someone believes that a judge acted improperly, a complaint may be made to the Supreme Court's Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct. The committee, composed of private citizens who are appointed by the Supreme Court, reviews allegations of judicial misconduct. The committee deals with questions of conduct only and not with the correctness of judicial decisions, which are matters for appeal. Depending on the Advisory Committee's findings and upon its own review of a complaint, the Supreme Court may sanction a judge. Sanctions range from reprimand, censure and suspension without pay, to removal from judicial office.

The Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct may be reached at (609) 292-2552. Correspondence, including complaints, should be addressed to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct, CN-037, Trenton, NJ 08625.

What recourse do I have if I believe an attorney has acted improperly?

Clients who believe their attorneys committed professional misconduct may file a grievance with the Supreme Court's Office of Attorney Ethics in Trenton, or with one of the 17 county-based District Ethics Committees. District Ethics Committees are composed of both lawyers and non-lawyers.

If the Office of Attorney Ethics or a District Ethics Committee finds enough evidence to believe that an attorney may have acted improperly, a complaint is filed. From that point forward, the process is open to public review.

A hearing into the complaint is conducted by a panel of the District Ethics Committee or, in certain cases, by a Special Master. If the hearing panel or the Special Master finds that unethical conduct has been committed, the case is forwarded to the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Review Board. If the Disciplinary Review Board agrees that misconduct has occurred, it may issue an admonition.

In more serious cases, the Board may determine that the attorney should be reprimanded or suspended. In the most serious cases, the Board will recommend that the Supreme Court disbar the attorney. The Supreme Court will hold a hearing in all cases in which an attorney faces disbarment.

Litigants who believe their lawyers have charged unreasonably high fees and who have not been able to resolve the fee dispute privately may request that the dispute be arbitrated before a county based Fee Arbitration Committee. Members of Fee Arbitration Committees are appointed by the Supreme Court and consist of attorneys and non-attorneys. Fee arbitration hearings are conducted in private, and both the client and the attorney whose fee is being challenged have a right to be present with their attorneys, if any.

The Office of Attorney Ethics may be reached at 1(800) 406-8594.