Remarks of Michael J. Blee, Acting Administrative Director of the Courts, Before the Assembly Budget Committee

Good afternoon, Chairwoman Pintor Marin, Vice-Chairwoman Park, and the members of the Assembly Budget Committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Judiciary’s budget.

The last time I appeared before this committee, I had been serving in my role as acting administrative director of the courts for exactly six days.

Since that time, I’ve traveled to courthouses in all 21 counties across New Jersey, learning as I go. That experience has left me with an even deeper respect and appreciation for the work that our dedicated judges and staff do each day on behalf of the people of New Jersey. 

I may be biased, but it is my firm belief that, under the leadership of Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, New Jersey has the finest state Judiciary in the country.

Joining me today are some of the leaders of the Judiciary: from Vicinage 2 in Bergen County, Assignment Judge Carol V. Novey Catuogno; from Vicinage 6 in Hudson County, Assignment Judge David B. Katz; from Vicinage 9 in Monmouth County, Assignment Judge Marc C. Lemieux; from Vicinage 11 in Passaic County, Assignment Judge Rudolph A. Filko; and from Vicinage 14 in Ocean County, Assignment Judge Francis R. Hodgson Jr.

As a Judiciary, we take pride in serving as an independent branch of government that settles disputes and administers justice in a fair and equitable manner.

We also greatly value the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that exists with our justice system partners, such as the Bar Association, and with the legislative and executive branches. Each branch of government plays a distinct and important role in our democracy, with one common goal: to serve the public. And the public is served best when we work together.

We are most grateful to the executive and legislative branches for the substantial progress made in recent months to reduce the number of judicial vacancies. As I sit here today, the number of judicial vacancies has dropped to 17.  A full complement of judges – or as close to a full complement as practicable – is essential to reducing backlog and resolving disputes in the efficient and timely manner that the public deserves. We thank both branches for their efforts on this crucial issue.

One of our top priorities as a court system is to reduce the case backlogs that have built up during the post-Covid era. If we are to be successful in that endeavor, we will need to remain vigilant in filling judgeships in the months and years to come.

We have a series of statewide initiatives that benefit from the collaboration among the three branches of government. In the interest of time, I will highlight three of them.

First, we have seen significant momentum in the resolution of affordable housing disputes. Working within the statutory framework established by the legislature and the governor, our judges heard 238 challenges in 159 cases within one month’s time, and 117 of those 159 cases – 74 percent – settled. In phase two of the program, judges heard 234 cases and 151 of them – 65 percent – settled.

That is a remarkable undertaking. In some instances, cases that had been litigated for 10 years were settled in a matter of months.

Criminal Justice Reform is another prime example of the collaboration between the three branches of government. Created in 2017, CJR continues to operate as intended, balancing fairness and public safety. The most recent analysis of CJR studied a three-year period, from 2022 to 2024, and found the following:

• Approximately 80 percent of those detained in our jails are there for serious offenses.
• More than 90 percent of defendants on pretrial release appear for their court dates on time.
• The percentage of defendants on pretrial release charged with a No Early Release Act (NERA) offense remains near or less than 1 percent, as does the percentage of defendants charged with a non-NERA Graves Act gun offense.

We also are proud of our JOBS Program, which works to reduce recidivism by connecting probationers, graduates of our Recovery 

Court program, and other appropriate individuals to employment opportunities and training. 

There are currently 366 JOBS program partners, which include public and private employers as well as educational institutions. Since the program’s creation, nearly 7,000 JOBS program clients have accepted employment offers.

The JOBS program serves as another example of an initiative that involves all branches of government working together to transform the lives of individuals as well as our communities.

We look forward to continuing to work together so that our government can evolve and adapt to respond to the ever-changing needs of the public.

Thank you all for the opportunity to speak with you today about the Judiciary. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.