Bill > A1219

Introduced Session

This bill is the enabling legislation to a proposed constitutional amendment, which would eliminate the Governor and the Senate from involvement in the appointment of judges of joint municipal courts and central municipal courts. Currently, the statutes allow for three types of municipal courts: municipal courts of single municipalities, joint municipal courts, and central municipal courts. A municipal court of a single municipality has jurisdiction over cases from that municipality, and a judge of such a court is appointed at the municipal level. However, judges of joint municipal courts and central municipal courts are nominated and appointed at the State level by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. (A joint municipal court is created by two or more municipalities and has jurisdiction over cases from these municipalities. A central municipal court is created by a county and has jurisdiction over cases from all municipalities in that county.) This bill amends N.J.S.2B:12-4 to provide that if two or more municipalities agree to the establishment of a joint municipal court, the method of selecting and appointing each judge would be set forth in the agreement establishing that court. A copy of the agreement would be filed with the Administrative Director of the Courts. The Governor and the Senate would not be involved. In addition, the bill provides that a judge of a central municipal court would be appointed by the county executive in those counties having a county executive and in all other counties would be appointed by the county governing body. The Governor and the Senate would also not be involved in this appointment. Under the bill, judges of municipal courts of single municipalities would continue to be appointed at the municipal level.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Dawn Fantasia (R)*,  Michael Inganamort (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee (on 01/13/2026)

Official Document