New Jersey Court Docket Search

New Jersey court dockets are a compilation of New Jersey court records that provide individuals with intricate details about a case. Like other states, New Jersey has its peculiarities in searching and accessing its court dockets. Cases litigated in the New Jersey Courts are assigned court dockets which serve as a summary of the details of a case. This provides residents of New Jersey with basic case information about ongoing and closed judicial proceedings. There are several ways to access these New Jersey Court Dockets, ranging from in-person to electronic searches. However, public access to selected court record information is restricted, especially where the subject is a juvenile or the administrative office concerned receives a judicial order to restrict disclosure.

What is a Court Docket in New Jersey?

A New Jersey court docket contains the complete history of cases filed in a court of law. Every case in New Jersey is assigned a unique court docket number, making it easy for record seekers to track them. A court docket contains information such as the names of the defendant, attorneys, and the presiding judge and a brief summary of the claims or charges.

What is the Purpose of a Court Docket in New Jersey?

A court docket is a log containing the summary of cases that are either pending or decided and listed chronologically. In New Jersey, court dockets are used to provide individuals with specific details about a particular case. Court dockets also contain the name of the court where a case was held, which helps the researcher track a case and its progress properly. Court dockets also summarize in-court activities and schedules, such as when the attorneys are expected to report to the court and when the case proceeding is expected to commence.

Are Court Dockets Public Records in New Jersey?

Yes, Court dockets are considered public records in New Jersey. Per the New Jersey Open Public Records Act and the New Jersey Court Rule 1:38, court records within the custody and control of the judiciary are open for public inspection and copying. However, some court dockets may be sealed and would therefore be only open to the case attorneys and parties. Sealed court dockets include records required to be kept confidential by law, records containing child sexual victim information, and family division records.

What Do Court Dockets Contain New Jersey?

The court dockets of cases litigated in New Jersey are designed to properly inform an individual with the most important information about a case. Some of this information includes:

The case party details (plaintiff and defendant names, address, and their attorneys names, emails, and bar IDs)
The assigned case number
The case disposition and disposition date
The case track
The case type
The case initiation date
The name of the presiding judge
The names of the members of jury
The points raised by the defendant (for appealed cases)
A summary of the filings for the case
The court where the case was filed
A brief summary of the issue(s) being heard
The ruling of the judge
The case status which shows whether the case is still pending or if it has been closed
List of documents tendered during the course of the case, the dates they were filed, the document type, document number, and the filing party
The date of the last court hearing
A summary of the fees paid during the course of the trial, this includes the transaction type, receipt amount, payment ID, transaction number, and the payor's last name
If the case is a civil case, the court docket will contain information such as the property being mortgaged, its address, and municipality (if it is a case of property foreclosure)

The court docket of some courts in New Jersey is more comprehensive and contains more information than others. For example, the Supreme Court of New Jersey contains more information in its dockets than the District Court dockets.

Where to Find a Court Docket in New Jersey

New Jersey court dockets can be found at the courthouse where the case was filed, and they can also be found online. To get a copy of a case’s court docket in person, the requester must visit the clerk's office at the court where the case was filed. Online court dockets can be found on New Jersey Court websites.

How to Conduct a New Jersey Court Docket Search

A requester can conduct a New Jersey court docket search online or in person. Online requests can be made via the Find a Case tools provided by the New Jersey Courts. The tools allow individuals to search for the following:

Individuals can also request court records electronically from Superior Court Clerk's Offices. The requester must download a Records Request Form and submit it via the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS).

To conduct the search in person, the individual must visit the clerk at the courthouse where the case was filed. The clerk will then provide them with a records request form. The required details in the form are the requester’s name, address, phone number, how they wish to pay the required fee, and the requested document.

What is a Court Docket Number in New Jersey?

A court docket number is a unique combination of letters and numbers which is assigned to every case filed with New Jersey Courts. In New Jersey, the sequence of numbers is arranged to allow requesters to get basic information about the case just by looking at the court docket number. New Jersey Courts assign unique docket numbers to cases depending on the case type. For example, civil cases docket numbers are a combination of the following:

A three-digit letter code, where the first two letters indicate the region where the court is located, and the third letter shows the case type. For example, when a court docket number begins with SWC, it means the court is a South Western Court, and the case is a civil case.
Followed by another letter code, usually, F or C. F stands for Foreclosure, while C stands for Chancery. Chancery is used when the plaintiff asks for something other than money, while foreclosure deals with mortgage, divorce, and appointing a guardian for a person.
A randomly generated six-digit code.
Another two-digit code that shows the initiation date of the case. For example, a case that started in 2019 will have 19 as its last two digits.

A typical example of a New Jersey court docket number is SWC F 003478-19. This implies that the case is a civil case filed in 2019 at the South Western Court and a foreclosure case.

How to Conduct a Court Docket Number Lookup in New Jersey

To conduct a court docket number lookup in New Jersey, an individual must have a particular detail about the case being searched. For example, the party's first and last names, complaint numbers, or indictment numbers may be requested. Using any of these means to access the court docket brings up everything about the case, including the docket number. An individual may conduct a court docket number lookup via one of these means:

Providing the party’s first and last name. Unlike in some states where accessing the court docket may simply require the party's first name, in New Jersey, both the first and last name will be required, or a business name if the case is between businesses.
For criminal cases, the individual will be required to provide the county name and one of the following:
The defendant’s first and last names
The indictment or accusation number
The state identification number
The complaint number
Tax cases may also be searched using the case block or dot number.

Providing any of the above information generates all the case details, including the court docket number. Basically, an individual cannot conduct a docket number lookup in New Jersey without providing other information about the case.