Divorce Trials Stopped Indefinitely in Hunterdon and Somerset Counties.

“Because of the current high number of judicial vacancies, trials in the Civil Division and matrimonial trials will not be conducted in two vicinages, beginning Feb. 21, 2023, except for very limited circumstances. Those trials will be suspended for the immediate future. 

 At this time, there are 69 vacancies throughout the trial courts – more than one out of every six positions statewide. That imposes heightened responsibilities on sitting judges who handle thousands of proceedings and motions each month. In addition, for the past three years, the court system has operated with an average of more than 50 vacancies. That situation, along with the effects of the COVID crisis, has contributed to delays in handling individual cases and substantial increases in backlog.

Circumstances today are particularly challenging in two vicinages. In Vicinage 13, which is comprised of Hunterdon, Somerset, and Warren counties, there are five vacancies out of a total of 20 judicial positions. In Vicinage 15, comprised of Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties, there are nine vacancies out of 28 judgeships….

Without additional relief, we may well face the same situation in other vicinages in the near future…”

With divorce trials halted, the only option for litigants who cannot resolve their will be to attend arbitration. 

Derek M. Freed, Esq., founding member and managing partner of Ulrichsen Rosen & Freed LLC  is certified as an arbitrator by the American Academy Of Matrimonial Lawyers.