Notice and Order – Supreme Court Dismissal of Old Unresolved Minor Municipal Court Matters – Phase 3

NOTICE TO THE BAR AND PUBLIC 
DISMISSAL OF APPROXIMATELY 298,000 MUNICIPAL CASES MORE THAN 19 YEARS OLD; RECISSION OF DRIVER'S LICENSE  SUSPENSIONS AND RECALL OF ARREST WARRANTS 

By Order of December 11, 2023 ( attached), the Supreme Court has dismissed approximately 298,000 unresolved, minor municipal court cases that are more than 19 years old (Dismissal Order). The Court ordered these dismissals following review by the respective municipal prosecutors in the cases. The dismissed cases are those in which driver's license suspensions and/or arrest warrants had been issued to defendants for a failure to appear prior to January 1, 2004. In those matters, all driver's license suspensions will be rescinded and all arrest warrants recalled. 

The dismissed cases include unresolved parking offenses, motor vehicle offenses, municipal ordinances, and other minor municipal matters. The Dismissal Order exempts certain more serious Municipal Court cases from dismissal -for example, disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, and refusal to submit to a chemical test. 

This Dismissal Order is the third in a series of Supreme Court orders that collectively will address approximately 1. 7 million minor, unresolved municipal court cases involving the same types of charges. The first order, issued May 21, 2021, dismissed 313,231 cases and the second order, issued December 12, 2022, dismissed approximately 266,000 cases. The 1. 7 million matters are being dismissed in batches since it would be impracticable to dismiss all of them at one time. 

The Judiciary has created a webpage to assist the public in identifying what matters are included or not included in this Dismissal Order. The webpage, located at https://www.njcourts.gov/courts/municipal/dismissal-old-cases, includes a database that can be searched to determine whether or not a particular case is included in the Dismissal Order. The webpage also includes the list of serious charges excluded from this Dismissal Order; further details on charges that are included in the Dismissal Order; a set of Frequently Asked Questions; and an explanation of how an individual can, if necessary, contact the Motor Vehicle Commission to restore a suspended license.