United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
Encyclopedia
The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (in case citation
s, D.N.J.) is the federal district court
whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey
.
Cases brought in the District are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
(except for patent
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
).
, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the Western District of New Jersey on February 13, 1801, by the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, with the judicial districts being headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey
, and Burlington, New Jersey
, respectively. The repeal of the 1801 Act restored New Jersey
as a single judicial district on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. New Jersey is the largest state by population to only have one district court, and is larger in population than several states that have multiple districts.
In recent years, Congress has considered several bills, introduced by South Jersey representatives, to divide New Jersey into two districts, a Northern District and a Southern District. For example, such bills were introduced in the 106th Congress in 2000 and the 109th Congress in 2005. None of these bills have ever passed either house of Congress. Proponents of the change have cited the caseload of the New Jersey District Court as well as the distance between the seats of the two proposed districts, Newark and Camden (85 miles) as justification for splitting the current district. It has also been observed that such a split would guarantee South Jersey a greater share of judgeships as well as new positions to which residents of the area would be appointed, such as court clerks, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal and Federal Public Defender for the new Southern District.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The U.S. Attorney has offices in Newark
, Trenton
, and Camden
. Paul J. Fishman
was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009.
of the Court. The Clerk of the Court is William T. Walsh.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
s, D.N.J.) is the federal district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
whose jurisdiction is the state of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Cases brought in the District are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
(except for patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
Tucker Act
Through the Tucker Act , the United States government has waived its sovereign immunity with respect to certain lawsuits....
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
-Vacancies and pending nominations:-List of former judges:-Chief judges:Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the court was initially created, Congress had to resolve which chief judge of the predecessor courts would become the first chief judge...
).
History
The District of New Jersey was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. The District was subdivided into the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the Western District of New Jersey on February 13, 1801, by the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, with the judicial districts being headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
, and Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington, New Jersey
Burlington is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States and a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 9,920....
, respectively. The repeal of the 1801 Act restored New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
as a single judicial district on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. New Jersey is the largest state by population to only have one district court, and is larger in population than several states that have multiple districts.
In recent years, Congress has considered several bills, introduced by South Jersey representatives, to divide New Jersey into two districts, a Northern District and a Southern District. For example, such bills were introduced in the 106th Congress in 2000 and the 109th Congress in 2005. None of these bills have ever passed either house of Congress. Proponents of the change have cited the caseload of the New Jersey District Court as well as the distance between the seats of the two proposed districts, Newark and Camden (85 miles) as justification for splitting the current district. It has also been observed that such a split would guarantee South Jersey a greater share of judgeships as well as new positions to which residents of the area would be appointed, such as court clerks, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal and Federal Public Defender for the new Southern District.
Jurisdiction
The District of New Jersey is divided into three vicinages: Newark, Trenton and Camden.- In Newark, the Court operates from two courthouses: The "old" courthouse is the United States Post Office and Court House at One Federal Square. Across Walnut Street is the "new" courthouse—Martin Luther King, Jr. U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building (50 Walnut Street). The Newark vicinage's clerk's office is located in the Martin Luther King building.
- In Trenton, the Court operates from the Clarkson S. Fisher Building and U.S. Courthouse (402 East State Street).
- In Camden, the Court is located at the Mitchell H. Cohen Building and U.S. Courthouse (4th and Cooper Streets).
The U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The U.S. Attorney has offices in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, Trenton
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, and Camden
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. Paul J. Fishman
Paul J. Fishman
align="right"|Paul J. Fishman is an American lawyer who currently serves as the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. He was sworn in on October 14, 2009 along with his First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Gil Childers....
was sworn into office as U.S. Attorney on October 14, 2009.
Current judges
The Honorable Garrett E. Brown, Jr. is the Chief JudgeChief judge
Chief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
of the Court. The Clerk of the Court is William T. Walsh.