Mercer County
Mercer County was created in 1838 and is located in the west-central area of New Jersey. It occupies a land area of approximately 224 square miles and has an estimated population of 387,000. The county seat is Trenton.
The Mercer County Superior Court serves county residents through its Civil, Criminal, Family, and Municipal Divisions. The Civil Division of the county's Superior Court handles most civil cases involving disputes in which an individual (plaintiff) claims that the actions of another person (defendant) hurt them and wants monetary compensation. Matters under this category include breach of contract, automobile accidents, landlord-tenant conflicts, and medical malpractice. The Criminal Division, on the other hand, hears all kinds of indictable criminal lawsuits involving mostly adult offenders. However, the court may handle criminal cases involving juveniles for highly severe criminal offenses.
The Family Division of the Mercer County Superior Court has jurisdiction in matters relating to paternity, divorce, domestic violence, family crisis, juvenile delinquency, child support, abuse and neglect, adoption, parenting time, foster care placement, and termination of parental rights. Several legal matters involving ordinance violations, certain penalty enforcement actions, traffic violations, and disorderly persons offenses are heard by the Municipal Division. This division also has very limited juvenile jurisdiction.
Court records generated and gathered from case filings/hearings in the Mercer County Superior Court are considered public records unless they are private/sensitive or sealed. They usually include documents, files, information, and judge's decisions. Public court records in the county are preserved by the managers of each division of the Superior Court, who make them available to the public upon request. For instance, anyone can request copies of records for the following types of lawsuits in person or by mail in Mercer County:
- Criminal cases
- Family law cases
- Criminal cases
- Vehicle and traffic violation cases
- Juvenile cases
New Jersey Courts have an Electronic Access to Court Records System that enables members of the public to access records of all types of legal proceedings in the state, including those filed/heard in Mercer County. The system requires a user's subscription, and using it costs $4 per minute.
