Sussex County
Located in the extreme northwestern part of New Jersey, Sussex County occupies approximately 536 square miles of area with over 144,000 residents. The county was formed from four municipalities in 1753 and named for the county of Sussex in England. The seat of government is Newton.
The Sussex Superior Court serves residents and businesses within the county and does this effectively through its key divisions. The court operates Criminal, Family, Civil, and Municipal Divisions. The Criminal Division of the Sussex County Superior Court has jurisdiction over all indictable criminal matters involving adult offenders. However, cases of juveniles who commit severe criminal offenses may be waived to adult court, although on rare occasions. On the other hand, the Civil Division is responsible for handling most civil cases relating to controversies in which a plaintiff claims they have been harmed by a defendant's actions and pursue monetary compensation. Prominent among such law actions are those involving medical malpractice, car accidents, landlord/tenant disputes, and contract breaches.
In Sussex County, suits that the principal claim relates to and arises out of a family are handled by the Family Division of the Superior Court. The Municipal Division of the court has jurisdiction over many cases. These include matters involving ordinance violations, penalty enforcement actions, traffic infractions, and vehicle offenses.
Public court records in Sussex County are kept in the courthouses and maintained by the clerks of courts. Interested persons can obtain copies of public court records in the county by submitting their requests to the clerks of courts in person or via mail. Such records include documents, information, and transcripts gathered from court proceedings, as well as judgments. The following types of public court records are available at the Superior Court Clerk's Office in Sussex County:
- Family law case records
- Civil case records
- Criminal case records
- Traffic violation case records
Records of legal proceedings filed in Sussex County Superior Court can also be accessed through the New Jersey Electronic Access Program (EAP), a portal that gives remote access to certain judiciary case systems. However, a subscription is required to use this system and it costs $4 per minute to use it.
