Why?  Across NJ almost 70 judicial positions are vacant.  So, not enough judges for the job. 

The numbers are chilling:  Across NJ’s twenty-one counties, there are almost 78,000 cases in queue (civil, criminal and family for the most part).  

We know for certain that six NJ counties have formally shut down their family courts without a firm reopening date (Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Salem, Gloucester, and Cumberland).   

Also, Hudson County is unofficially delaying divorce trials until mid-2024 as well.   I read about a couple in Passaic County who filed for divorce a year ago, and their case hasn’t been scheduled for their first court appearance called the Case Management Conference.  

What does this mean for you?  If spouses who’ve already filed their divorce in court may not be saying Sayonara until June 2024 at the earliest, you may be looking at a 2025 date.  

If there’s a family emergency, think domestic violence or children in peril, a judge may get the case, but you hankering to end your marriage and start life over isn’t a priority to NJ courts. 

Is this a blatant plug for mediating versus litigating your divorce?  Absolutely.  

Why? Because it works.