Update, April 22: Courts and Law Enforcement Respond to Coronavirus

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In light of the national emergency due to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19), courts, and law enforcement agencies at every level of Government have taken extraordinary actions:

FEDERAL

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

  • The Supreme Court of New Jersey has authorized courts to stay the commencement of custodial sentences in criminal, family/juvenile, and municipal matters. Courts have been directed to provide victims with notice and the opportunity to object to such stays.
  • The Supreme Court has issued comprehensive updated guidance regarding remote proceedings in the trial courts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • Most court proceedings will continue via remote options, including video and telephone. The consent of all parties and attorneys will not be required except for: sentencing hearings in criminal; family, and municipal matters; juvenile delinquency adjudications; evidentiary hearings and bench trials in all criminal matters and those municipal matters that involve a reasonable likelihood of a jail sentence or loss of driving privileges; termination of parental rights trials; and hearings for adjudication of incapacity or appointment of a permanent guardian.
    • The State’s limited resources for live streaming will be prioritized for use in criminal matters.
    • Third-party observer access to live-streamed proceedings must be requested prior to the event by email sent to the judge.
    • In addition to longstanding procedures for obtaining a copy of recordings via CD, the Court will implement procedures to transmit recordings electronically.
    • The courts will post information for attorneys as to which technologies and software various divisions will use to conduct proceedings remotely.
  • For more information, see our prior posts.

MUNICIPAL COURTS

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