New Jersey’s judicial leaders have ordered a pause on all civil and matrimonial trials in Passaic County because there aren’t enough judges to handle all the work currently demanding attention. It’s the third time such a pause has been ordered; the judicial regions covering Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties as well as Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties were both previously ordered to halt civil proceedings.
The pause in trials is the most dramatic impact of the state’s ongoing judicial vacancy crisis. Some progress has been made as the state Senate has begun more regularly confirming Gov. Phil Murphy’s judicial appointments, leading to the pause on the South Jersey counties being recently lifted. But court leaders warn that more retirements are looming, and are urging Murphy and state lawmakers to move more quickly to fill the bench.
