New Expungement Rules Became Effective June 1, 2016

Submitted by New Jersey Criminal Defense Lawyer, Jeffrey Hark

The New Jersey legislature has authorized a modified and accelerated expungement procedure for all municipal court charges that have been dismissed by way of trial and or court order.

If you are charged with a municipal ordinance, disorderly persons offense, petty disorderly persons offense, your case is being heard in the Municipal Court and the charges have been dismissed you may be eligible for the expedited modified expungement of the arrest record immediately in the Municipal Court.

Pursuant to NJSA 2C: 52–6 a municipal court judgment of dismissal can be summarily signed off by the municipal court clerk and judge for immediate expungement with no additional superior court filing.

However, the dismissed charges cannot be part of a larger plea bargain or plea negotiation when other related charges under the criminal code have not been dismissed.  In other words, if you’re charged with certain assaults, drug charges, shoplifting, another disorderly persons offenses alone, and they have been dismissed for one reason or another, you can use this procedure to get the record on the arrest expunged from your criminal history in an expedited manner.

If you’re interested in finding out more about this please contact my office so we can represent you in the Municipal Court, get your charges dismissed, and asked the judge to execute the order for expungement while we were in court that same day

Jeffrey S. Hark, Esq.

609-471-1959. Cell

856-354-0050 Office