Bill

Bill > A5946


NJ A5946

NJ A5946
Requires juvenile charged with delinquent act to be prosecuted in county where incident giving rise to complaint occurred.


summary

Introduced
07/24/2025
In Committee
07/24/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
01/12/2026

Introduced Session

2024-2025 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill requires a juvenile charged with a delinquent act to be prosecuted in the county where the incident giving rise to the complaint occurred. Under current New Jersey Court Rules, juvenile delinquency complaints are filed in the county where the incident giving rise tothe complaint allegedly occurred. However, when the juvenile charged is domiciled in a county other than the county of the alleged occurrence, venue is to be laid in the county of the juvenile's domicile unless the court finds good cause for venue to be retained in the county where the incident occurred. Venue is the county in which an action or prosecution is brought for trial. Under the provisions of this bill, when a juvenile is charged with a delinquent act, venue is to be laid in the county where the incident giving rise to the juvenile delinquency complaint allegedly occurred.

AI Summary

This bill modifies existing New Jersey law regarding the venue (legal location) for juvenile delinquency cases by requiring that when a juvenile is charged with a delinquent act, the case must be prosecuted in the county where the incident occurred, regardless of where the juvenile lives. Previously, if a juvenile was charged with an offense but lived in a different county from where the incident took place, the case could potentially be moved to the county of the juvenile's residence unless the court found a specific reason to keep the case in the original county. The new law eliminates this discretion and mandates that the venue always be the county where the alleged delinquent act occurred. This change aims to standardize the legal process for juvenile delinquency cases and ensure that cases are heard in the jurisdiction most directly connected to the alleged offense, potentially making the legal proceedings more straightforward and locally relevant.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (4)

Last Action

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee (on 07/24/2025)

bill text


bill summary

Loading...

bill summary

Loading...

bill summary

Loading...