Somerset County Municipal Courts Lawyer
Criminal & DWI Attorneys Represent Clients in Somerset County Municipal Courts
New Jersey Municipal Courts are local courts authorized by the State Constitution. These Courts are restricted to the municipality in which they are located. Each incorporated municipality within Somerset County has its own court. Somerset County Municipal Courts are located in: Bedminster Township, Bernards Township, Bernardsville, Bound Brook, Branchburg Township, Bridgewater Township, Far Hills, Franklin Township, Green Brook Township, Hillsborough Township, Manville, Millstone, Montgomery Township, North Plainfield, Peapack-Gladstone, Raritan, Rocky Hill, Somerville, South Bound Brook, Warren Township and Watchung.
Somerset County Municipal Court Offenses
The scope of a Municipal Court’s authority to hear cases is limited. These Courts generally preside over cases within the municipality’s jurisdiction involving traffic tickets, minor criminal offenses, and local ordinance violations. Common Somerset County Municipal Court traffic ticket offenses include:
- Speeding
- Drunk Driving: DWI / DUI
- Driving on a Suspended or Revoked License
- Driving Without Insurance
- Careless or Reckless Driving
- Leaving the Scene of an Accident
Somerset County Municipal Court criminal offenses may involve:
- Simple Assault
- Shoplifting (Theft)
- Possession of Marijuana or Drug Paraphernalia
- Disorderly Conduct
- Resisting Arrest
- Underage Drinking
Local ordinance violations may include:
- Leash Law infractions
- Building Code violations
Somerset County Municipal Court Trials
A summons must always be answered. An answer entails either the payment of a fine or an appearance in court. Therefore, Municipal Court appearances are not always required.
In traffic matters, if the “Court Appearance Required” box on your ticket is not checked, you may not be required to appear in court. However, an appearance is still necessary if you wish to have a trial, the charge is not listed on the Statewide Violations Bureau Schedule, or personal injury is involved. If you intend to have a trial, the Court will require that you give 7 days notice.
If the “Court Appearance Required” box is checked, you must appear. Criminal charges always require a court appearance. The Court can suspend the driving privileges and issue an arrest warrant for a defendant who fails to appear.
In Municipal Court, the defendant is always entitled to legal representation. A Public Defender may be assigned to a defendant if there is a risk of jail, loss of driving privileges, or heavy fines. The defendant must also be unable to afford an attorney. If these factors are present, the defendant must apply to the Court for a Public Defender. The application will detail the defendant’s current financial situation. After reviewing the defendant’s application, the Court will determine if assigning a Public Defender is appropriate. If your application for a Public Defender is denied, you are still entitled to representation through a private attorney.
Somerset County Municipal Court Judges, Prosecutors, Websites, and Court Schedules
Municipal Court Judges and Prosecutors are generally appointed by the Mayor, the town council, or the Governor. Court Schedules are determined by each municipality. The following is a list of Somerset County Municipal Court Judges, Prosecutors, Websites, and Court Schedules:
- Municipality
- Judge
- Prosecutor
- Website
- Court Schedule
- Bedminster Township, 1 Miller Lane Bedminster, NJ; Frank Gasiorowski, Stephen O. Davis, www.bedminster.us, Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.
- Bernards Township, 1 Collyer Lane Basking Ridge, NJ; Donald P. Bogosian, Stephen O. Davis, www.bernards.org, Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m.
- Bernardsville, 166 Minebrook Road Bernardsville, NJ; Robert F. Shaul, Miles Winder, www.bernardsvilleboro.org/, Mondays at 10:00 a.m.
- Bound Brook, 230 Hamilton Street Bound Brook, NJ; Frank Gasiorowski, Christopher S. Bateman, www.boundbrooknj.net/, Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.
- Branchburg, 1077 US Highway 202 North Branchburg, NJ; William T. Kelleher, Geoffrey D. Soriano, www.branchburg.nj.us, 3rd & 4th Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
- Bridgewater Township, 505 Route 202-206 South Bridgewater, NJ; William T. Kelleher, Christopher S. Bateman, www.bridgewaternj.gov/, Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. & 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays at 8:30 a.m.
- Far Hills, 6 Prospect Street Far Hills, NJ; Robert K. Hornby, Christopher S. Bateman,
Joseph Sordillo, 2nd & 4th Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. - Franklin Township, 475 DeMott Lane Somerset, NJ; Jeffrey C. Green, E. Ronald Wright, Hector I. Rodriguez, Steven D. Rothblatt, www.franklintwpnj.org/, Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m., Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
- Green Brook Township, 111 Greenbrook Road Green Brook, NJ; Raymond P. DeMarco, John E. Bruder, www.greenbrooktwp.org, Wednesdays at 5:00 (First Appearances) & 7:30 p.m. (Trials)
- Hillsborough Township, 379 South Branch Road Hillsborough, NJ, John F. Richardson, Frank A. Blandino, www.hillsborough-nj.org, Mondays at 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m.
- Manville, 325 North Main Street Manville, NJ; Robert J. Foley, Matthew C. Dorsi, www.manvillenj.org/, 1st, 3rd & 4th Thursday at 5:00 p.m.
- Millstone, 215 Millstone Road Millstone Township, NJ; Jeffrey C. Green, Steven Rothblatt, www.millstone.nj.us/, Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
- Montgomery Township, 2261 Van Horne Road Route 206 North Belle Mead, NJ; Eric M. Perkins, Kim A. Otis, www.twp.montgomery.nj.us, 1st, 2nd & 4th Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., 3rd Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
- North Plainfield, 263 Somerset Street North Plainfield, NJ; Raymond P. DeMarco, Jerrold Kaminsky, www.northplainfield.org, Tuesdays & Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
- Peapack-Gladstone, 1 School Street Peapack, NJ; Richard J. Foley, Raymond J. Stine, www.peapack-gladstone-nj.gov, 1st & 3rd Monday at 6:30 p.m.
- Raritan, 22 First Street Raritan, NJ; William T. Kelleher, Steven J. Sloan, www.raritanboro.org/, Mondays at 7:00 p.m. (Twice Monthly)
- Rocky Hill, 15 Montgomery Ave. Rocky Hill, NJ; Eric M. Perkins, Raymond Stein, www.rockyhill-nj.gov/, Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m.
- Somerville, 22 First Street Raritan, NJ; William T. Kelleher, Elia Pelios, www.somervillenj.org/, Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
- South Bound Brook, 12 Main Street Somerset, NJ; John Leonard, James Fitzgerald, 1st & 3rd Monday at 5:00 p.m.
- Warren Township, 44 Mountain Blvd Warren, NJ; Mark S. Adler; Stephen Rothblatt, www.warrennj.org, Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.
- Watchung, 840 Somerset Street Watchung, NJ; Frank Gasiorowski, Raymond J. Stine, www.watchungnj.com/, Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. (Twice Monthly), Last Monday at 4:00 p.m.
Free Consultations Available – New Jersey Somerset County Municipal Court Lawyers
Contact the law firm of Bramnick, Rodriguez, Grabas, Arnold & Mangan, LLC to schedule your free consultation.
You can reach us 24 hours a day: (908) 322-7000.
