New Jersey Uses the Superior Court
There is no New Jersey trial court called a district court. The main trial court in the state is the Superior Court, and Bergen County is its own vicinage within the statewide system. So when people look for a Bergen County district court, the Superior Court at the Justice Center is the court they mean. The Superior Court is split into the Law Division, the Chancery Division, and the Special Civil Part.
This naming matters for searches. A "district court" search for a state case leads back to the Superior Court, while a true federal district court is a separate system covered later on this page.
Bergen Vicinage Leadership
Each vicinage has an Assignment Judge who leads the court and a Trial Court Administrator who runs its operations. In Bergen, the Assignment Judge is Carol V. Novey Catuogno, and the Trial Court Administrator is Kerri Lynn Walsh-Wood. The Criminal Presiding Judge is James X. Sattely. The court runs Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the main line at 201-221-0700. The Family Division keeps its own set of judges for divorce, custody, and support matters.
The vicinage also runs a Court User Resource Center and a Law Library for the public. The Resource Center can explain procedures and forms but cannot give legal advice, which makes it a useful first stop for people without a lawyer. For case searches, see Bergen County court records.
Superior Court Divisions and Offices in Bergen
The Bergen Superior Court is not a set of numbered courts. It is one court with divisions and support offices, most of them at the Justice Center. The table below lists the main offices, their locations, and their contacts.
| Office | Address | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Bergen County Justice Center | 10 Main Street, Hackensack | 201-221-0700 |
| Criminal Records Room | 10 Main Street, 2nd floor | 201-527-2700 ext. 2173 |
| Family Division | Bergen County Justice Center | 201-221-0700 ext. 25170 |
| Ombudsman / Resource Center | 10 Main Street, Room 125 | 201-221-0700 ext. 25103 |
| Law Library | 10 Main Street, Room 123 | 201-221-0700 ext. 25092 |
| Central Municipal Court | 71 Hudson Street, Hackensack | 201-336-6222 |
| Surrogate's Court | Two Bergen County Plaza, Suite 5000 | 201-336-6700 |
How a Case Moves Through the System
Cases climb a clear ladder in New Jersey. Most start at the trial level and can move up on appeal. The Superior Court sits in the middle, between the local municipal courts and the appellate courts.
Case flow: Municipal Court › Superior Court (Law Division) › Appellate Division › Supreme Court of New Jersey
The three main court levels handle very different work. The comparison below shows how the Superior Court, the municipal courts, and the Surrogate divide the load.
| Court | Handles | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Superior Court | Trial court of general jurisdiction | Indictable crimes, larger civil suits, divorce |
| Municipal Court | Local and traffic matters | Tickets, ordinances, disorderly persons |
| Surrogate's Court | Probate administration | Wills, estates, guardianships of minors |
Law, Criminal, and Family Divisions
The Law Division handles civil and criminal trial matters, including indictable criminal cases and larger civil disputes. The Special Civil Part takes lower-value civil cases, small claims, and landlord-tenant matters. The Family Part handles divorce, custody, support, juvenile, and domestic violence cases, although many family records carry access limits.
Criminal cases run through the Criminal Division and the PROMIS/Gavel system, from complaint and indictment through arraignment, conferences, plea or trial, and sentencing. See arrest records for the criminal process and divorce records for family matters.
Municipal Courts and the Central Municipal Court
Bergen County is heavily municipalized, with many towns and municipal courts. Municipal courts are the front door for traffic tickets, parking, local ordinance violations, disorderly persons offenses, and first appearances. Many towns route cases through the Central Municipal Court at 71 Hudson Street in Hackensack, which also runs an online dispute resolution option for some traffic matters.
Appeals from municipal court generally go to the Superior Court Law Division. For ticket lookups, see traffic court records.
Surrogate, Probate Part, and Appeals
Probate administration starts with the Bergen County Surrogate, who proves wills and appoints executors and guardians of minors. Contested probate, accounting, guardianship, and adoption matters are docketed through the Surrogate as Deputy Clerk of the Superior Court, Chancery Division, Probate Part. Appeals from the Superior Court trial divisions go to the Appellate Division, and then, by permission, to the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
For estates and guardianships, see the Surrogate's Court page.
Specialty Programs in the Bergen Superior Court
The Superior Court runs several problem-solving programs through its criminal structure. Recovery Court, once called Drug Court, combines judicial supervision, treatment, and drug testing for defendants with substance-use issues. Pretrial Intervention offers a diversion path for many first-time, non-violent defendants, and finishing it can avoid a conviction. The Veterans Assistance Project refers court-involved veterans to benefits and care.
These programs are part of why a criminal case can take many turns before it ends. A defendant may enter a program, complete supervision, and resolve a case without a standard sentence. NJ Courts counted 4,946 veteran referrals statewide since the project began, as of January 1, 2026, which shows how active these tracks remain.
Custody, the Sheriff, and Court Appearances
The Sheriff connects the jail to the courthouse. A defendant held before trial is transported to the Justice Center for arraignment, hearings, and trial by the Sheriff's Prisoner Transport Unit. While a case is pending, families often need the jail's visiting and mail rules, which the Sheriff publishes online.
The jail's visiting-hours page covers non-contact visits and scheduling.
See the jail visiting hours page for visit rules. Inmate mail follows its own rules too.
The inmate mail page lists the jail address and content limits. For the roster, see inmate records.
Federal Courts Involving Bergen County
Federal cases for Bergen residents are not in the Superior Court. They run through the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, often the Newark vicinage for the north of the state. Bankruptcy cases go to the federal bankruptcy court, and federal appeals go to the Third Circuit.
The federal district court is the trial-level federal court for New Jersey.
See the U.S. District Court for New Jersey for federal trials. Bankruptcy has its own court.
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for New Jersey handles Chapter filings, and appeals go to the Third Circuit.
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals hears federal appeals from New Jersey. Use court dockets for how to reach federal records through PACER.