Essex County Criminal Court handles all criminal cases that are filed in Essex County. See below for more information about criminal cases in Essex County.
What if I can’t afford an attorney?
The 6th Amendment guarantees you the right to an attorney whether or not you can afford one. If you cannot afford one, a public defender will be appointed by the court to represent you.
Mandatory Appearances in Essex County Criminal Court
At a mandatory or required court appearance in Essex County, the defendant must appear before the court. In the event of a “Failure to Appear” the judge may issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant. Note: not all criminal hearings are mandatory, in a non-mandatory hearing an attorney may appear on your behalf without you being in court.
Who can help me in Essex County?
For general information about your case the Essex County court clerk will be able to provide legal information about your specific criminal case. Legal information is not legal advice though, the court clerk will only be able to provide information about your case, like date/time of hearings what will occur at the hearing and what you may be required to do in the hearing. They cannot provide advice about what you should do or what the best legal options may be for your particular case. Only an attorney can provide legal advice and this is your best place for information about your specific criminal proceeding. If you cannot afford to hire a private attorney to represent you, a judge will appoint an attorney to represent you, this is most often a public defender.
Appealing a guilty verdict
A defendant may appeal a guilty verdict to an appellate court. This is not a request to have another trial, but a request for an appellate court to review the case and determine that it was handled in a correct legal manner. There are a number of outcomes in an appeal including an upholding of the conviction, a finding that errors were made resulting in a retrial or resentencing or possibly a complete disimissal of all charges.
What happens in Essex County at an arraignment?
In Essex County the defendant is brought into court and informed by the judge of the charges that have been filed against them along with informing them of their rights. At this time, the defendant can plead guilty, not guilty or no contest. If the defendant pleads guilty or no contest, there will be no trial and the defendant may be sentenced immediately or at a later date. If the defendant pleads not guilty a trial date is set.
If guilty, who sentences the defendant?
If the defendant is found guilty after the trial, the defendent will be sentenced. In some cases, this can occur at the same hearing the defendant is found guilty in court, in other cases a separate hearing will be required. Often the prosecution will request a particular sentence for the defendant and the judge will determine whether to enforce this sentence or impose a different sentence for the defendant.
Jury by Trial Right
The US Constitution (Article 3 along with the 6th Amendment) ensures an accused defendant the right to a jury trial. This applies to crimes that have a $500 fine or a potential sentence of six months in jail (aka Serious Crimes). This right to trial by jury can also be waived by a defendant.
Jury Deliberation
In a jury trial in Essex County, after both the prosecution and defense have rested, the judge will give instructions to the jury and jury deliberations will begin. The jury will convence in a private room to discuss and deliberate the innocence or guilt of the defendant. Once the jury arrives at a unimanous decision, they will inform the judge that they have reached a decision. They will return to the court and the verdict will be read aloud. If the jury cannot reach a unaminous decision, the jury is said to be deadlocked and a mistrial will be declared in the case.
Burden of Proof Requirement
In a criminal case in the United States, the burden of proof always requires the prosecutor to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. This is a high threshold that must be met by the prosecution when presenting evidence in a case. If the prosecution fails in it’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt the judge must find the defendant not guilty. In a jury trial, the judge will inform the jury what this burden is and their obligation to find the defendant not guilty if they feel the prosecution did prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Plea Agreements
A Plea Agreement, sometimes known as a Plea Bargain is an agreement between the prosecution and the defendant, where the defendant pleads guilty or no contest often in exchange for a lesser charge or lighter recommended sentence. A large majority of criminal cases end in a plea agreement. In Essex County you can inform your attorney to negotiate with the prosecution to attempt to come to a plea agreement, but this is dependent upon the charge severity and also the prosecutors willingness to accept a plea deal.
Prosecutor in Essex County
In Essex County, the prosecutor is an attorney representing Essex County. In some cases, the prosecutor may actually represent New Jersey. For the most part, the prosecutor in Essex County has discretion to both decide whether to file charges and also negotiate a potential plea deal with the defendant.
Essex County Criminal Court locations
Criminal proceedings take place in the Essex County Criminal Courts. A list of the criminal courts are located here.
Essex County Criminal Court Locations
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Essex County Superior Court
Address: 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-5701 -
Essex County Superior Court – Chancery Division – General Equity
Address: 212 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-648-2119 -
Essex County Superior Court – Civil Division
Address: 465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-5529 Fax: 973-693-6556 -
Essex County Superior Court – Criminal Division
Address: 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-5931 Fax: 973-693-5974 -
Essex County Superior Court – Family Division
Address: 212 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-6600 Fax: 973-693-6674 -
Essex County Surrogate’s Office
Address: 465 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-621-4900 Fax: 973-621-2647 -
Belleville Township Municipal Court
Address: 152 Washington Avenue, Belleville, NJ 07109
Phone: 973-450-3319 Fax: 973-450-0935 -
Bloomfield Township Municipal Court
Address: 2nd Floor, Bloomfield, NJ 07003
Phone: 973-680-4078 Fax: 973-680-4082 -
Caldwell Municipal Court
Address: 1 Provost Square, Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-403-4630 Fax: 973-403-7574 -
Cedar Grove Municipal Court
Address: 525 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009
Phone: 973-239-1410 Ext. 207 Fax: 973-239-0312 -
East Orange Municipal Court
Address: 221 Freeway Drive East, East Orange, NJ 07018
Phone: 973-266-5300 Fax: 973-266-5249 -
Essex Fells Municipal Court
Address: 141 Gould Avenue, North Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-228-6420 Fax: 973-228-5195 -
Fairfield Township Municipal Court
Address: 230 Fairfield Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Phone: 973-882-2715 Fax: 973-882-2714 -
Glen Ridge Municipal Court
Address: 825 Bloomfield Avenue, PO Box 66, Glen Ridge, NJ 07028
Phone: 973-748-8116 Fax: 973-748-3926 -
Irvington Municipal Court
Address: 1 Civic Square, Irvington, NJ 07111
Phone: 973-399-6678 Fax: 973-399-6746 -
Livingston Municipal Court
Address: 357 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston, NJ 07039
Phone: 973-535-7970 Fax: 973-535-7997 -
Maplewood Township Municipal Court
Address: 1618 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Phone: 973-762-2839 Fax: 973-762-9367 -
Millburn Township Municipal Court
Address: 435 Essex Street, Millburn, NJ 07041
Phone: 973-564-7066 Fax: 973-564-7764 -
Montclair Township Municipal Court
Address: 647 Bloomfield Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07042
Phone: 973-509-4774 Fax: 973-774-6902 -
Newark Municipal Court
Address: 31 Green Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-733-6520 Fax: 973-733-8533 -
North Caldwell Municipal Court
Address: 141 Gould Avenue, North Caldwell, NJ 07006
Phone: 973-228-6420 Fax: 973-228-5195 -
Nutley Township Municipal Court
Address: 228 Chestnut Street, Nutley, NJ 07110
Phone: 973-284-4945 Fax: 973-284-4914 -
Orange Municipal Court
Address: 29 Park Street, Orange, NJ 07050
Phone: 973-266-4161 Fax: 973-672-5233 -
Roseland Municipal Court
Address: 19 Harrison Avenue, Roseland, NJ 07068
Phone: 973-226-0641 Fax: 973-403-7683 -
South Orange Municipal Court
Address: 1618 Springfield Avenue, Maplewood, NJ 07040
Phone: 973-762-2839 Fax: 973-762-9367 -
Special Remand Part – Newark Municipal Court
Address: 50 West Market Street, Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-693-5856 -
Verona Township Municipal Court
Address: 600 Bloomfield Avenue, Verona, NJ 07044
Phone: 973-857-4774 Fax: 973-857-4792 -
West Caldwell Municipal Court
Address: 21 Clinton Road, West Caldwell NJ 07006
Phone: 973-226-3373 Fax: 973-403-7611 -
West Orange Municipal Court
Address: 60 Main Street, West Orange, NJ 07052
Phone: 973-325-4080 Fax: 973-731-0265