Strong Push for Municipal Court Reform

Municipal court reform in New Jersey has been a topic for some time as the municipal court system funnels large sums of money into towns from residents and often those passing through. Now Chief Justice Stuart Rabner is pushing hard to change the way business is done in municipal courts. The push includes the issue of municipal judge appointments as well, due to the belief that municipal court judges are often appointed based on political contributions they have made to the mayor's campaign. Some long-discussed matters have included consolidation of municipal courts, changing the appointment process for judges and separating the imposition of penalties from the collection of fines. One proposal is the creation of qualification committees in each county for the vetting of candidates for municipal judge. One proposal includes an evaluation by the vicinage judge presiding over municipal courts, a representative of the municipality where the judge would be seated and two members of the county bar association who practice in municipal court. the League of Municipalities has been outspoken about the loss of local perspective in court appointments. Those seeking reform have posed that towns submitting qualified candidates have nothing to fear from the reform. The Asbury Park Press and USA Today undertook and investigation into local court abuses, the report was a major catalyst for the reform movement. A panel has been assembled including prosecutors, public defenders and private defense counsel, judges, state agencies, public interest groups and members of each branch and layer of government. State Attorney General, Gubir Grewal hopes to improve the uniformity in municipal courts. If you are facing loss of license or significant fines in municipal court, you should obtain experienced criminal defense counsel immediately. For more information about DWI, refusal to submit to chemical breath testing, controlled dangerous substances (CDS) in a motor vehicle, reckless driving, driving while suspended or other serious motor vehicle charges in NJ visit DarlingFirm.com. This blog is for informational purposes and not intended to replace the advice of an attorney.