New Jersey Municipal Courts Found to Have Abused Fees and Fines

The New Jersey State Judiciary has released a report which finds that the Municipal court Judges, who draw their income from the courts coffers, often abuse the application of punishments of fines and fees for personal gain.

From NJ.com :

“[The report] found that abuse of laws allowing local courts to impose contempt-of-court fines and several recent cases of misconduct by municipal judges showed a need for change in New Jersey’s town court system, which collected $400 million in fines and fees last year alone. 

“The report recommended 49 measures to rein in the practice and restore public faith in New Jersey’s municipal courts, some of which have already been taken up by the Supreme Court and others that have prompted proposed legislative fixes.”

As well, it was determined that some $22 million dollars generated as a result of “discretionary contempt assessments” between 2015-2017 was “excessive”, and were imposed primarily for the generation of revenue rather than being justified penalties.

For more information on the report and the extent of its findings and recommendations, follow the link HERE.

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