[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6263837,"mediaKeyId","3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2","parentId",3100354,"title","Senator presses acting AOC director on contested fair‑share process after COAH abolition","audioSeconds",450,"startMs",3000000,"endMs",3450000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2&start=3000&end=3450","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2/thumbnail_3000000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6263837/New-Jersey/Senator-presses-acting-AOC-director-on-contested-fairshare-process-after-COAH-abolition","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263837-33a210bbb7264de1c543050415edf2eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770884018&Signature=BzvSEfDmA7Uz3MLIrt0m7po7fcQvIHPFVqJLbvoa3AgZmZAHdjeGn18NgULXTIR4QzByKcHqRPWZsamhzE2Us0BHl59WXXVkOpORmKwH-T2tj88GC0H-t1Eov84sGnMmQYLXir4oWzqJddt2cyIk89kK3FP0eVrAOrW~mKGYYr1zwmEb-sfup4j8zPB-Mov4Q0iWfx9h8xlaz4jDk6au-StP44GaWrZojpLoLm5Bm5czLSa~v5~A7-yx0Bdu3pIQPXQauc-tlOEmsPJGMPGzhf490W7ccmJzhxO82CGb70XmxoBHNa2nIl3k2zVLuG~WfTPywYiuErYdLsZsnRGdVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Jersey Legislature","date","2025-04-22T00:00:00Z","article","Senator Sarlo pressed Michael Blee about the judiciary’s role in post‑COAH fair‑share housing dispute resolution and about a directive from the Administrative Office of the Courts that requires municipalities to participate in settlement conferences.

Blee said he did not participate in drafting the prior directive and described the current compliance process: 564 municipalities exist in the state; 449 filed declaratory judgment actions under the new statute; 290 accepted the Department of Community Affairs’ prospective need calculations and 159 filed to deviate. He said 59 contested cases were heard in the 30‑day statutory period and that roughly 113 of those matters settled, a settlement rate he put at about 70 percent.

The nut graf: Committee members representing rural municipalities told the director the process and the AOC directive have pressured towns with limited infrastructure and legal resources to negotiate settlements. Blee said the program is shortly before a key deadline and that he would monitor and consider refinements, including whether he has authority to extend deadlines.

Senators described towns in rural counties that face what they called impractical housing obligations and questioned the impartiality of using organizations such as the Fair Share Housing Center to review municipal plans, given the Center’s frequent role as an active litigant in disputes. Blee said he would consider reviewing the directive to see if improvements could be made and that he planned to meet with the chief judge responsible for the program to review implementation.

Ending: Blee said he would take requests under consideration and would monitor the program’s infancy while working with the chief judge to identify potential improvements ahead of the next compliance phase.
","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Budget and Appropriations (Budget Hearings Only) Tuesday, April 22, 2025 - 1:00 PM","oneSentenceSummary","Senator Sarlo pressed Michael Blee about the judiciary’s role in post‑COAH fair‑share housing dispute resolution and about a directive that requires municipalities to participate in settlement conferences.","taxTitle","2025 Legislative Sessions, New Jersey","taxId",77696,"location","New Jersey","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6263842,"Judiciary highlights recovery, jobs and gun-violence initiatives; mental-health diversion pilots set to expand",2058,392000,2450000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2&start=392&end=2450","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2/thumbnail_392000.jpg","/articles/6263842/New-Jersey/Judiciary-highlights-recovery-jobs-and-gun-violence-initiatives-mental-health-diversion-pilots-set-to-expand","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263842-7fa212dfed4c1d83b049d86bd16aedbe/orig.mp4?Expires=1770884018&Signature=hFImUZKVN4deKKsXKTR9PA6jX4yQ5mNEgW86QJeuSVSLfuDvLCfEaXsZxY5zIMG4DXyxU5fnxC8vnX-a5c1CGscARAR7d9PCAj1WLvv1SAP3Xg0G95Fi4JZ~kwdawTzm-UsDrYYOxc2ulK8K24FbLITteh6lFp8xr60UUeRCWMgBLV7y4SB7gQzrBS-f5adg9BU9PmLVUP1646zWXizlfSZrIQNPbUVPCPGFnP~TcQhEt6ExOBETqnetyOu-IUc2SkytyBhOSUvLvorzUK4Z9Q1TZXgMy~2kESZsSA4JavZqHUv9i-B65uko9SiP8stkriKR1gX2fnfX2k29rrRyVg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michael Blee told the Senate panel the judiciary’s recovery court and related programs produce strong outcomes and that a newly enacted mental-health diversion law is entering its pilot phase.

Blee said recovery court graduates have substantially lower reincarceration rates: while about 25 percent of people released from prison return within three years, he said the reincarceration rate for recovery court graduates is “just 2 percent.” He described the program as connecting participants to treatment, education and employment and noted job-placement partnerships in vicinages such as Atlantic–Cape May.

The nut graf: Committee testimony emphasized programs that couple supervision with services — recovery court, a jobs program, and a gun-violence reduction initiative — and pointed to an attorney-general-led mental-health diversion pilot that will draw funding from state health resources.

Blee described the jobs program as a partnership among courts, government, employers and community organizations to link probationers and child-support respondents to training and employment; he said participants have found work in health care, casino employment, retail and higher education. He said the gun-violence reduction initiative offers closer supervision and wraparound services for lower-risk defendants charged with weapons offenses; completion rates for probation in the program were described as about 75 percent.

On the mental-health diversion law enacted in 2023, Blee said the attorney general will solicit interested vicinages and that funding from the Department of Health and Human Services will support the pilots; he described the initiative as prosecutorially driven, with screening and referral to services after charge review.

Blee also supplied data on statewide referrals tied to the gun-violence initiative and related supports, saying 93 referrals were made statewide in the 2023–24 period and listing types of services delivered: education and employment supports (44%), general counseling (17%), substance-abuse counseling (16%), mental-health evaluation (10%) and housing (8%). He said 688 clients participated overall in the initiative during the court year, including 193 juveniles.

Ending: Senators thanked Blee for the program updates and asked the judiciary to provide follow-up statistics and cost information as the committee considers budget allocations.
","Acting Administrative Director Michael Blee told senators the judiciary’s recovery court, job-placement programs and gun-violence initiative have measurable success and described an attorney-general-led mental-health diversion program that is moving into pilot selection and initial funding.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6263846,"Acting administrative director tells Senate committee judiciary is reducing backlog but judicial vacancies remain a strain",1821,118000,1939000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2&start=118&end=1939","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2/thumbnail_118000.jpg","/articles/6263846/New-Jersey/Acting-administrative-director-tells-Senate-committee-judiciary-is-reducing-backlog-but-judicial-vacancies-remain-a-strain","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263846-48ebcaa20c296b061c033166eca99d20/orig.mp4?Expires=1770884018&Signature=AQLSxuROanmi2xES3QJlSrmuGjGjWM7mmDJHzII7NifEvBGV0u8UNhFnMMr9OYJofhKEofQKTuIN0shYOMA1n3ZjSkf8kQp~LgS2Qz3EVhQM7Ru4N-JiUmpvKxxjpdDjwGsb7u0z4jfiMoXfBHzA7QmjBqMHNcaQr8ZIX~C46ytxIyA0LtMO3u341XrAFfId9I~4LEqALiJaRF5aQNSBebt3JW9K5vquYERWUmrQ4qXAM8jCSoC8s0DSQLr5oYg2y0frgRoSBHmTZ9nhuWrUkVsCZnhrFgISJNSzii-Gx2REVqXnlgcZPykY7S8-VQxwqPmB3UNSs~-LmZ7WtcPAyg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michael Blee, the acting administrative director of the courts, told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on April 22 that the judiciary’s caseload is improving but still strained by vacancies.

Blee said the number of cases resolved in the past fiscal year rose “nearly 12 percent,” lowering the total backlog by about 21 percent, but he added the improvement “falls short of our present goal” and that filling judicial vacancies remains critical to reducing delays.

The nut graf: The judiciary reported measurable progress on case resolution since the pandemic, but Blee and senators warned that concentrated vacancies in certain counties can force disruption of scheduled trials and slow access to justice unless nominations and confirmations accelerate.

Blee told committee members that as of his testimony the judiciary had 49 vacancies and that number was expected to rise to 51 by May 1; he said a healthier range for vacancies would be about 25 to 35. “The absolute number of vacancies is not as important as where they are,” Blee said, explaining that having multiple vacancies in a single vicinage can force the postponement of civil and criminal trials.

Committee members described local impacts. Blee said assignment judges and neighboring vicinages sometimes reassign matters or take other temporary measures to keep cases moving, but those solutions strain judicial resources and lawyers called in from other counties.

The acting director framed the vacancies in part as the product of a stringent vetting and selection process and pledged continued collaboration with the legislature and the bar to recruit and vet candidates. He said the judiciary is continuing efforts to fill seats and noted that 76 vacancies several years ago represented a deeper crisis than the current position.

Blee also reiterated judicial priorities tied to the budget request: reducing the backlog, filling vacancies, maintaining court security and pumping resources into programs that address underlying problems driving court appearances. He emphasized transparency measures adopted last year, including live streaming of appellate division hearings and broader access to court filings for appellate matters.

Operational impacts were a recurring concern. Blee said that if certain vicinages reach five or six vacancies “it's a distinct possibility” that the court would need to halt some civil trial calendars, and he told senators the judiciary would provide data on threats to trial schedules if vacancies worsen.

Ending: Blee closed by committing to continued cooperation with the legislature and the bar and said the judiciary would provide requested data to the committee about vacancy locations and trial schedules.
","Michael Blee, acting administrative director of the New Jersey Courts, told the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee that case resolution rose nearly 12% last year and the overall backlog fell 21%, while the judiciary still faces dozens of judicial vacancies that could disrupt trials in some vicinages.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6263833,"Acting director: New Jersey courts exploring AI tools while warning of errors and cyberthreats",155,4685000,4840000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2&start=4685&end=4840","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3100354-9f73c175ba53d2db70cae85a7bc177a2/thumbnail_4685000.jpg","/articles/6263833/New-Jersey/Acting-director-New-Jersey-courts-exploring-AI-tools-while-warning-of-errors-and-cyberthreats","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6263833-0e29bf21b648e3e7ba92aa859b905bb8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770884018&Signature=AM41BylSx1quH6hMCLER54U1LRcOureUH2L4anfK4tD92u47dM~UKHHRaGFslCIckp79qCZror5s0lJfste8ur5dBuFVmdbmva205zCFHnD0YbFkoHN83q1mtITSF6u5AtclGYhbqw0hCcC-noKeoK~8fsSnIlMseJXmLfokP-9Fg6hE4eYW-I7zABDj7yLS2s8auBvUyVtMpLDssEcyEdruX5gyvyc~OfDUoSdMRRiWqw3eLk5CKX~iggPpQI8~7KAYSOi14zFvxU-k9dG4aUOfMly2zRe19fuVk7NITA4g9ChSiCpsVe6nR63XJ91pFIGGWS9qkNDrNOfwVZCBhQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Michael Blee told the committee the judiciary is exploring artificial‑intelligence tools for internal efficiency while emphasizing the risks of inaccurate AI‑generated legal citations and the growing threat of cyberattacks.

Blee said the courts are piloting an internal AI tool intended to streamline tasks such as summarizing proceedings and supporting legal research while keeping final judgment and citation authority with judges and lawyers. He warned that attorneys who submit briefs containing inaccurate AI‑generated citations could face professional referral or sanctions; the judiciary and the Supreme Court’s ethics processes remain a backstop for ethical violations.

The nut graf: The judiciary is in an exploratory phase with AI, testing internal tools to support work, educating lawyers about ethical risks and preparing contingency plans to revert to paper filings in the event of a severe cyberattack.

Committee members asked how judges will handle AI‑influenced filings. Blee and assignment judges said the receiving judge will exercise discretion — some filings have been stricken or not considered when errors were flagged, and in many instances the opposing party first identified the problem and the matter was handled case‑by‑case. Blee also described an active cybersecurity posture: he said courts have responded to recent cyberattacks, sanitized systems, and in extreme scenarios would return to paper filings.

Ending: Blee said the judiciary will continue education for lawyers and judges on AI and will roll out internal tools carefully while maintaining cybersecurity and adherence to judicial ethics.","Michael Blee told senators the judiciary is piloting internal AI tools to help with administrative tasks and document summaries, has ethics and referral standards for inaccurate AI‑influenced filings, and is strengthening cybersecurity after recent attacks on court IT systems.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senator presses acting AOC director on contested fair‑share process after COAH abolition

Judiciary highlights recovery, jobs and gun-violence initiatives; mental-health diversion pilots set to expand

Acting administrative director tells Senate committee judiciary is reducing backlog but judicial vacancies remain a strain

Acting director: New Jersey courts exploring AI tools while warning of errors and cyberthreats