New Legislation Introduced to Increase Court Filing Fees, Create
Eight New Judgeships and Fund Legal Services of New Jersey
(LSNJ)
BILL DESCRIPTION
S-1784/A-2789 (Sweeney/Burzichelli) was recently introduced and is pending in the State
Legislature and is pending before the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees.
The bill would:
Create eight additional Supreme Court judgeships statewide as follows:
Burlington – two judges
Cumberland – one judge
Gloucester – one judge
Hudson – one judge
Mercer – one judge
Salem – one judge
Sussex – one judge
The new judges would be funded by an across-the-board increase in court fees.
95% of the fee increases would annually be appropriated by the Department of Treasury
for LSNJ.
5% of the fee increase would annually be appropriated to the Department of State, Higher
Education Services to be allocated equally among Rutgers Law School, Newark and
Camden and Seton Hall Law School for clinical programs which provide free legal
representation to the poor.
NJSBA HISTORY ON THE ISSUE
In 1996, the NJSBA supported P.L. 1996, c. 52, which created ten new judgeships and
designated funding for LSNJ. (A brief history of NJSBA’s position on court fee increases is
attached)
NJSBA’s Board of Trustees and Legislative Committee voted to support S-1784/A-2789.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
I respectfully urge you to contact the bill sponsors and your local legislator to express your
support of this important bill to preserve access to our courts.
NEW JERSEY STATE BAR
ASSOCIATION
New Jersey Law Center One Constitution Square
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-1500
(732) 937-7544 Fax (732) 249-2815
D. Todd Sidor, Esq.
MEMORANDUM
Director of Judicial Administration
E-mail: tsidor@njsba.com
TO: Valerie L. Brown
FROM: Todd Sidor
DATE: June 17, 2008
RE: NJSBA Positions on Filing Fee Increases
Per your request, the following provides a summarized history of NJSBA action
on issues involving the increase of court filing fees over the last two decades:
P.L. 1991, Chapter 177. Creates 36 new judgeships; increases filing fees. (S-3452)
Supported.
P.L. 1994, Chapter 81. Reduces certain fees for Special Civil Part; increases fees for
docketing warrants of satisfaction; requires moving party to fill judgment. (S-356)
Supported.
P.L. 1996, Chapter 52. Creates 10 new judgeships, designates funding for Legal
Services of New Jersey.(S-1181) Supported.
P.L. 2000, c.129. Proposes a series of amendments to laws dealing with court fees in
the Special Civil Part of Superior Court. (A-1581) Supported.
P.L. 2001, c.370. Revises fees and salaries of county clerks, registers of deeds and
mortgages, sheriffs and surrogates, and use of fees to upgrade and modernize services
of sheriffs' offices, pay salary increases and reduce county tax levies. (S-553) Real
Property Section recommended support, Executive Committee voted 2 to support, 2 to
oppose and 1 to take no position. The NJSBA took no position.
P. L. 2002, c. 34. Provides for certain filing fee increases to be dedicated in a “Court
Technology Improvement Fund” that will be used to develop, establish, operate and
maintain court computer systems (A2506/S1508) Opposed.
P.L. 2004, c.62. Increases to $5 the $2 assessment on municipal court cases to
upgrade Automated Traffic System/Automated Complaint System (ATS/ACS).
Opposed.