Notice and Order - Amendments Adopted to Court Rules 1:18B-1 and 1:18B-3 - Judicial Financial Reporting Requirements

This notice is to advise that the Supreme Court on September 12, 2024 adopted amendments to Rules 1 : 18B-l and 1 : 18B-3 regarding the manner of submission of annual judicial financial reporting statements and the retention and disclosure those statements.

The amendments to the rule, which are published with this notice, were effective upon adoption.

For questions or information related to this notice, please contact Michelle M. Smith, Clerk of the Superior Court at michelle.smith@njcourts.gov or 609-8152900 ext. 54200.

SUPREME COURT OF NEW JERSEY

It is ORDERED that the attached amendments to Rules 1 : 18B-1 ("Obligation to Report") and 1:18B-3 ("Retention and Disclosure of Statements") of the Rules Governing the Courts of the State of New Jersey are adopted to be effective immediately.
 

1:18B-1. Obligation to Report 

(a) General.    ...no change
(b) Form of Report.     ...no change
(c) To Whom to Submit Report. The annual judicial financial reporting statements are to be submitted to the Supreme Court in care of the Administrative Director of the Courts. Supreme Court justices, Superior Court judges, [and] Tax Court judges, and Municipal Court judges shall submit their reporting statements directly to the Administrative Director in a manner determined by the Supreme Court. [Municipal Court judges shall submit their reporting statements to their
Assignment Judge, who in turn will forward the reporting statements to the
Administrative Director.]
(d) Date By Which to Submit Report. ...no change
(e) Requests for Extension of Time to Submit Report. A judge may for good cause request an extension of time, not to exceed sixty days, within which to submit a judicial financial reporting statement. Such requests shall be in writing to the Administrative Director of the Courts: [, or in the case of a Municipal Court judge to his or her Assignment Judge.]
(f) Failure to Submit Report or to Submit Complete Report. If by May 15 a judge has not submitted either a fully completed judicial financial reporting statement for the preceding calendar year or a written request for an extension pursuant to paragraph (e), the Administrative Director[, or in the case of a
Municipal Court judge his or her Assignment Judge,] shall inform the judge in writing that the judge [he or she] has not satisfied the requirements of this Rule. [In the case of a Municipal Court judge the Assignment Judge shall forward a contemporaneous copy of that notice to the Administrative Director.] If the judge does not submit the required reporting statement within fifteen days of such notice, the Administrative Director shall refer the matter to the Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct.

Note: Adopted January 15, 2002 to be effective immediately; paragraphs (a), (c), (d), (e) and (f) amended January 6, 2003 to be effective immediately; paragraphs ( d) and (f) amended December 9, 2009, to be effective immediately; paragraphs (c), (e), and (f) amended September 12, 2024 to be effective immediately.

1 : 18B-3. Retention and Disclosure of Statements
(a) Retention.    ...no change
(b) Disclosure. The reports shall be available to the public upon request. Requests must be in writing and submitted either by email to a dedicated mailbox or by a standard form prescribed by [addressed to] the Administrative Director of the Courts. The request [and] must set forth in detail the specific reporting statement sought and the requesting party's name and address. [The Administrative Director may promulgate a standard form for such requests, in which case every request must be submitted by using that standard form.] Absent extraordinary circumstances, the Administrative Director shall provide the requesting party with a copy of the specific reporting statement sought.
    (c) Security Considerations.    ...no change

Note: Adopted January 15, 2002 to be effective immediately; new paragraph (c) added December 8, 2020 to be effective immediately: paragraph (b) amended September 12, 2024 to be effective immediately.