Essex County
Named after a county in East England, Essex County was founded in 1683 and is located in the northeastern region of New Jersey. According to the 2023 Population Estimate Program, the county is home to 851,117 people, with the white and black/african american ethnic groups making up the majority of the population.
The highest court of trial in Essex County is the Superior Court. The Essex County Superior Court consists of several divisions including civil, criminal, IT, family, municipal, finance, human resources, finance, operations, and probation divisions. The superior court hears a wide range of cases including traffic and ordinance violations, family crisis, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, foster care placement, medical malpractice, breach of contract, foreclosure, landlord-tenant cases, and civil claims in which the amount in dispute is up to $20,000.
Municipal courts operate within cities in Essex County. These courts also hear a wide variety of cases, including motor vehicle offenses, such as speeding, DWI, and illegal parking. Also, municipal courts hold hearings of minor criminal offenses, such as assault, shoplifting, and trespassing.
The Essex County Surrogate's Court is responsible for appointing administrators of estates, reviewing and assisting with documentation in adoption and guardianship cases, appointing guardianship for minors, and validating wills.
The Clerk of the Superior Court is in charge of the safekeeping and retrieval of Essex County court records. The public can access court records that are not sealed by state law or court rule. Therefore, the following Essex County court records are considered non-confidential and publicly accessible:
- General equity records
- Criminal division records
- Municipal courts records
- Family division records
The Essex County court records can be accessed remotely through the New Jersey Electronic Access Program (EAP) by following these steps :
- Create a Judiciary Account Charge System (JACS) account
- Complete the subscriber agreement
- Complete the subscriber enrollment form
- Mail the completed forms to the following address:
EAP
Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex
P.O. BOX 971
Trenton, New Jersey 08625
To obtain copies of court records of cases filed in Essex County, download the Records Request Form and submit through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS).
