Morris County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Established on March 15, 1739, Morris County is located 30 miles west of New York City. Its county seat is Morristown and is located southeast of Morris County. It is New Jersey's tenth most populous county according to the 2020 decennial census. Morris County has a population of 508,816 and is named after colonial Governor Lewis Morris. The Superior Court, Surrogate Court, and Municipal Courts define the court system accompanied by expertise in dealing with different categories of cases in Morris County.

The Superior Court is located in Morristown. Generally, the Superior Court handles civil and criminal cases. It has divisions presiding over divorce, child support, child custody, establishment of paternity, custody, and domestic violence cases. It also handles probate cases and cases that are not within the jurisdiction of other courts. The Surrogate Court pronounces judgment on the administration of estates and trusts, probate of wills, appoints guardians for incapacitated persons and minors, and hears adoption cases. In Morris County, you can probate a will or administer estates electronically. The Surrogate Court has its location in Morristown and serves the vicinage of Morris and Sussex counties (vicinage 10). The Municipal Courts are found in different locations such as Rockaway, Ledgewood, Long Valley, Riverdale, Parsippany, and Randolph. There are 32 Municipal Courts in Morris County and they are courts of limited jurisdiction hearing municipal ordinance violation cases, minor offenses, conduct felony preliminary hearings, violation of fish and boating laws, and most violations of motor vehicle and traffic laws. They do not have jurisdiction over motor vehicle cases involving death or serious bodily injury unless jurisdiction over such cases is specifically granted by the Superior Court. Some of the municipal courts are Boonton Township Municipal Court, Hanover Township Municipal Court, and Kinnelon Municipal Court.

The court calendar year starts from July to June every year. From a New Jersey Courts Caseload annual report, on a county-by-county classification of the number of cases filed, there were 17,217 cases filed in 2021 and 945 additional cases in 2022. The total case disposition in 2022 was 18,539 with 2,552 cases less in 2022 in Morris County. Annually 13,000 cases are filed. The Clerk of Superior Court is by statute, the official in charge of keeping court records. Court records are created, stored, and saved in electronic form. The public can access court records on the New Jersey Courts case search website or from the Office of the Clerk of Superior Court. Juvenile, adoption, and adult guardianship court records are not accessible to the public.

Morris County has developed vastly over the years in the field of litigation. Its thorough judicial proceedings and transition from paper to electronic means of filing and disseminating court records point to the level of technological advancement. The Superior, Surrogate, and Municipal Courts work hand in hand toward achieving a free and fair justice system.