By MaryAnn Spoto, Communications Manager
The New Jersey Judiciary’s move from a paper-based system to one in which a complaint can be filed with a few clicks and keystrokes has been years in the making.
In May 2014, The New Jersey Judiciary begun accepting motions in criminal cases electronically, an important step forward in the efforts to provide efficient and cost-effective justice.
“We are making progress in our efforts to become a paperless court system,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said at the time. “eCourts was developed to improve our ability to serve litigants, attorneys, and the public with a user-friendly system of electronic filing and case management. The electronic filing of criminal motions moves us further in that direction.”
The Judiciary’s eCourts system was developed to accept motions and accompanying documents filed online, to provide real-time remote access to electronic case filings to judges, attorneys, and court staff simultaneously, and to store and retrieve electronic documents after the case has concluded. Not only was it meant to be convenient, but electronic filing was also intended to reduce the costs associated with filing case documents, sending court notices through the mail, and storing paper files. It has streamlined the work of judges and court staff and allow for greater public access to the courts.
The system is the result of a multi-year project led by the Information Technology Advisory Committee chaired by Glenn A. Grant, administrative director of the courts. Its goals were laid out in the 2009 report of the Special Committee on Electronic Filing, formed by Chief Justice Rabner in 2008. The committee suggested that the courts should develop a comprehensive e-filing system that addresses document filing, case management, records management, and public access aspects of court work.
They recommended that the courts adopt a standard format for e-filing so that attorneys, judges, court staff and others can become familiar with one system even if they work in different practice areas. The system should enable remote access to case files for judges, attorneys, court staff, and others, and it should be Web-enabled for maximum accessibility.
This is a synopsis of where the Judiciary’s move to an electronic court system stands:
Trial Court
Attorneys can submit trial exhibits electronically to the court through the Evidence Submission and Workbasket application, which was implemented as a pilot on June 25, 2021, and then statewide in April 2022.
The updates allow attorneys to submit evidence in civil, special civil, general equity/chancery, family (excluding non-dissolution and domestic violence or sexual assault dockets), and criminal.
Expungements
The eCourts Expungement system allows:
Civil – Landlord Tenant
eCourts Special Civil LT pertains to cases with a dispute between a landlord and a tenant. This ongoing project provides an electronic case jacket, and enables simultaneous access by judges, court staff, and attorneys.
Attorneys and self-represented litigants submit cases electronically via the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) System. Filers have the option of paying using credit card, the Automated Clearing House (ACH) program, or the Judiciary Account Charge System (JACS) via JEDS. Landlord Tenant documents other than complaints submitted via JEDS are immediately placed in the eCourts LT case jacket.
Municipal
Plea Online
The Online Municipal Case Resolution System was enhanced in August 2022 with a new Plea Online System, which provides an electronic alternative to the plea by mail option.
Self-represented litigants and defense attorneys can access the plea online via NJMCdirect.com. Attorneys also can access the system from their attorney portal.
Moving and/or parking offenses, (with some exceptions) can be plead online.An enhancement is planned to allow pleas for minor criminal matters as well. All submitted plea requests are sent to the municipal prosecutor for review and comment.The plea of guilty or not guilty is then electronically routed to the municipal judge for review and approval or denial. The system tracks the filing dates and moves the plea from the prosecutor to the judge to facilitate a timely resolution.
Emails are sent to the filer to alert them when a decision has been made by the judge.Fines or fees associated with an approved plea can be paid through NJMCdirect.com.
Family
Juvenile electronic Court Disposition Reporting (JeCDR) was created to modernize the flow for submitting complaints related to juvenile delinquency matters. It replaces the process that involved the cumbersome practice of filling out physical forms and manual processing. With Juvenile eCDR, case processing for juvenile delinquencies has become quicker and more efficient.
Some benefits of Juvenile electronic Court Disposition Reporting are: