NEW JERSEY MUNICIPAL COURT SYSTEM
Municipal Courts in New Jersey handle traffic, disorderly persons, building code violations and criminal matters throughout the State of New Jersey. Most DWI Cases will be handled in the Municipal Court where the offense was alleged to have occurred. Municipal Courts should be distinguished from the Superior Court of New Jersey, which is located in each County, and handles Civil, Criminal and Family Law issues. Appeals from a Municipal Court are heard in the Superior Court. In the Criminal context, the County Prosecutor must allow the Case to remain in the Municipal Court in the town where the offense was committed. College Police, Town Police and State Trooper cases are often prosecuted in the Municipal Court where the offense occurred.
This section of our DWI website is intended to assist clients charged with DWI because often other motor vehicle or criminal charges are filed concurrently with the filing of a complaint alleging DWI. For more information (some of which is repeated here) see our link to Municipal Court and Criminal Defense.
We are confident in our mission of representing you. Jay Weinberg has considerable experience defending and Prosecuting cases in Municipal Courts throughout the State. You are presumed innocent of all charges filed against you and the State has the burden of proving each element of every charge beyond a reasonable doubt or that presumption will not shift away from you; you are innocent. We have obtained resolutions over and over again that our clients are very satisfied with.
Municipal Court charges should not be taken lightly. Motor Vehicle points can result in loss of driving privileges and higher insurance rates, and Municipal Court matters can, and do, result in incarceration. Some guilty pleas require mandatory jail terms. Our Law Office is equipped to help you. We take pride in helping our clients through difficult legal situations.
As set forth in the New Jersey Municipal Court website,
It is through the Municipal Courts that most citizens in the State come into contact with the judicial system, either as a defendant, a victim, or a witness. Since most citizens will never appear before another court, it is from their experience in the Municipal Courts that most people base their conclusions about the quality of justice in New Jersey.
The Municipal Courts in New Jersey are considered courts of limited jurisdiction, having responsibility for motor vehicle and parking tickets, minor criminal-type offenses (for example, simple assault and bad checks), municipal ordinance offenses (such as loud noise or building code violations) and other offenses, including fish and game violations. A Municipal Court usually has jurisdiction only over cases that occur within the boundaries of its municipality.
Many serious criminal cases, such as robbery, auto theft, or assault, start out as complaints filed in the Municipal Court but those cases are transferred to the Superior Court located at the county courthouse.
Driving While Intoxicated
