The word "re-imagining" was a recurring theme at the Municipal Court Bench Bar Conference, part of the Wednesday line-up at the New Jersey State Bar Association's Virtual Annual Meeting.
Municipal court proceedings were suspended for several weeks in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have resumed this week, virtually and via phone. Speakers voiced concerns about the challenges implicit in the new set-up, ranging from timing, to being able to properly represent and confer with their clients, the impact of the digital divide, and more.
The circumstances are unprecedented, speakers said, and leaders would need to re-imagine solutions that continue to protect New Jersey residents' access to justice.
Superior Court Judge Lisa P. Thornton noted that it was still very early in this transition, one that the state had also gone through over the last several weeks. Under different circumstances, a change of this magnitude would involve a Supreme Court committee with sub-committees, and two years worth of study, feedback and discussion, she said.
But with the COVID-19 crisis, all of that had been reduced to "a matter of weeks." Consistency will come, she said.
Others agreed. "Every session we're learning something new and we're getting better at it," said Timothy McGoughran, a municipal court judge in Ocean Township and NJSBA Treasurer. "We're going at lightning speed right now getting things done."
Panelists advised reaching out to local prosecutors when advocating for their clients, and keeping the lines of communication open.
The program was moderated by Michael A. Hoffman and Jason Komninos, chair and chair-elect of the NJSBA's municipal court practice sections. The panel, in addition to Thornton and McGoughran, included Judge Julio L. Mendez, Judge Stuart A. Minkowitz, John Menzel, Oakland Mayor Linda Schwager and Deputy Attorney General Robyn B. Mitchell.